In the wake of a UN resolution demanding more supplies into the beleaguered enclave, bloodshed has continued, with Gaza officials announcing on Saturday that over 200 Palestinians had died in Israeli attacks in the previous 24 hours.
With clouds of black and grey smoke rising over Khan Yunis city, Israel continued its onslaught targeting the southern Gaza Strip. Black smoke was also visible flowing northward in AFPTV photos.
With 201 deaths in the last 24 hours around the region, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza has brought the total number of deaths from the war to 20,258, the majority of which have been women and children.
According to an AFP calculation based on Israeli numbers, fighting started out on October 7 when Hamas terrorists stormed through Gaza’s border and murdered roughly 1,140 people in Israel, the majority of whom were civilians.
Israel retaliated by vowing to destroy Hamas and invading Gaza on foot and by continuous bombardment.
The Security Council passed a resolution calling for “immediate, safe, and unhindered” deliveries of life-saving aid to Gaza “at scale,” which is when the strikes on Saturday took place…
While it did not advocate for an immediate end to hostilities, it did call for the establishment of “conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.”
The language had been the subject of days of back and forth among members, and it remains unclear what, if any, effect the decision will have in practice.
They softened some of the clauses and refrained from demanding an end to the fighting at Washington’s suggestion.
Numerous Palestinians were slain and openly “executed” in northern Gaza this week, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
According to ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra, the Israeli “massacre resulted in the deaths of dozens” of Palestinians in Jabalia camp and Jabalia town.
In response to AFP’s inquiry, the Israeli army stated that it makes sure its “strikes against military targets comply with the provisions of international law,” but it did not address the accusations directly.
Hamas ‘lost contact’ with hostage guards
Out of a population of 2.4 million, 1.9 million people have been displaced in Gaza, according to UN estimates. Many of them have been pushed into cramped shelters or tents, where they are battling to get food, fuel, water, and medical attention.
Aid “cannot be effectively delivered” unless there is a “humanitarian ceasefire,” according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
He claimed that “the way Israel is conducting this offensive is creating massive obstacles” to aid delivery, rather than the sheer number of relief trucks, is the real problem.
Following the UN vote, Israel reaffirmed its commitment to continue fighting until Hamas is “eliminated” and the captives are released.
“Israel will continue the war in Gaza,” said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, insisting it was legal and just.
Israel’s army alleged that a strike on Friday targeted a Hamas official in charge of weaponry acquisition. According to the Palestinian health ministry, the strike claimed the lives of four members of the same family, including a girl in Rafah, southern Gaza.
According to the report, Hassan al-Atrash assisted in smuggling weapons into Gaza and was in charge of purchasing and producing weapons for the group’s military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
Speaking on behalf of the Hamas military wing, Abu Obeida stated that the group had “lost contact” with militants assigned to watch after five Israeli hostages, out of the approximately 250 prisoners—including foreigners—who were taken from Israel on October 7.
Three elderly men who were featured in a video released earlier this week by Hamas from their captivity are among the five captives.
“We believe that those hostages have been killed” in Israeli strikes, Abu Obeida said without providing evidence. There was no immediate comment from Israel.
Israeli authorities say 129 hostages remain in Gaza.
Displaced again
In an attack on a house in the heart of the Nuseirat refugee camp, 18 people were killed, according to the Palestinian health ministry on Saturday. Additional deaths have been reported throughout the Gaza Strip.
Men gently led a sobbing widow who had witnessed her relatives’ dead to Khan Yunis’ Nasser Hospital. A man with his hand resting on a black body bag, stooped over in sobs. Others outside prayed in front of yet another corpse.
“This is genocide,” said Rafat al-Aydi, standing before the bodies, which lay under a bush of bright red flowers.
Allies have put increased pressure on Israel to prevent civilian casualties, especially the United States, which gives Israel military aid worth billions of dollars.
On December 1, a one-week ceasefire that Qatar assisted in mediating and that Egypt and Washington supported came to an end. It resulted in the release of 80 Israeli captives held captive in Gaza in return for 240 Palestinian inmates.
Residents claim they have still being bombarded despite Israel’s repeated orders for Palestinians to move to places in the little enclave it claims are secure.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, stated that “famine is looming” and that the majority of the displaced were now going “entire days and nights without eating.”
On Friday, thousands fled central Gaza after an army evacuation order.
It warned residents of the Bureij refugee camp to move “for their security” towards Deir al-Balah city further south.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said the latest evacuation order would affect more than 150,000 people.
“The Israeli army just orders people to move into areas where there are ongoing air strikes,” Thomas White, UNRWA’s Gaza director, wrote on social media.
Drone strike off India
Far from Gaza, a new attack on shipping Saturday added to fears of a regional escalation.
A merchant ship was damaged by a drone strike in the waters off Veraval, India, according to maritime agencies. There was no accountability stated.
Red Sea shipping has already been hampered by missiles fired by the Huthi rebels in Yemen, who are backed by Iran and claim to be acting in sympathy with Gaza.
Iran “was deeply involved in planning the operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea,” according to US National Security Council spokesman Adrienne Watson.
The Huthis, according to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri, behave according to their “own decisions and capabilities,” refuting the accusations.
Additionally, there have been cross-border clashes between Israeli forces and the influential Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, which shares Iranian support with Hamas.