Israel strikes Gaza amid international calls for civilians’ protection
In the latest development of the Israel-Gaza conflict, Israel launched a series of airstrikes in Gaza on Sunday, responding to heightened international pressure to safeguard civilians and renew an expired truce with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The Israeli army reported over 400 strikes since the collapse of the ceasefire on Friday, while Hamas retaliated with rocket barrages targeting several Israeli towns, including Tel Aviv.
The Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza bore the brunt of Israeli strikes late Saturday, resulting in at least 13 casualties, as reported by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. United States Vice President Kamala Harris expressed concern about the rising civilian toll, labeling the images and videos from Gaza as devastating during a press conference at UN climate talks in Dubai.
The United Nations estimates that more than two-thirds of Gaza’s population, around 1.7 million people, have been displaced during the eight-week conflict. Fadel Naim, the chief doctor at Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City, reported receiving 30 bodies on Saturday, including seven children.
Despite the urgent need for humanitarian aid in Gaza, residents face shortages of food, water, and essentials, compounded by widespread destruction of homes. The Palestine Red Crescent Society noted challenges in delivering aid convoys across the Rafah border crossing due to Israeli restrictions, though some trucks managed to arrive on Saturday.
Efforts to negotiate a new truce hit a dead end as Israeli negotiators left Doha on Saturday. The Israeli Defense Minister emphasized the necessity of military action to push Hamas to release hostages, with 137 still reportedly held in Gaza.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for intensified efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire, free hostages, allow more aid, and ensure Israel’s security. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking in Tel Aviv, affirmed the continuation of the war until all its objectives, including eliminating Hamas, are achieved. He stressed that the ground campaign would adhere to international law.
As the conflict persists, Israel’s air, naval, and ground forces continue their offensive in Gaza, having targeted over 400 locations since the ceasefire’s end. The military’s actions include extensive airstrikes in the Khan Yunis area and operations against terrorist squads in the north of the Gaza Strip.
The situation has also seen a spillover of violence into the West Bank, where the Israeli army reported the shooting death of a Palestinian at a checkpoint near Nablus. Additionally, Syria and Iran accused Israel of air strikes near Damascus, alleging the killing of two Iranian Revolutionary Guard members on an advisory mission.
The complexity and intensity of the Israel-Hamas conflict show no signs of abating, with both sides seemingly entrenched in their positions and international calls for de-escalation facing significant challenges.
