Israel attacks Gaza while world leaders demand a pause in hostilities to allow aid to
After one of the worst days for Palestinians since the conflict began, Israel’s military increased its bombing of southern Gaza overnight as foreign leaders urged an end to hostilities to enable relief into the besieged enclave.
According to the Health Ministry, the number of Palestinians killed by continuous Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip has risen to 6,546.
At a press conference in Gaza City, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra stated, “The fatalities included 2,704 children, 1,584 women, and 364 elders.”
He stated that 1,600 people, including 900 children, were still buried beneath the debris, and that 17,439 more people had been hurt in the attacks.
According to the speaker, 25 ambulances were damaged and 73 medical personnel perished in the Israeli strikes.
According to al-Qudra, “Gaza’s healthcare system went out of service” as a result of severe shortages and ongoing attacks.
Israel’s military reported that in reaction to missiles fired from Iran-ally Syria, its jets hit Syrian army equipment and mortar launchers, raising fears that the Israel-Hamas confrontation will extend throughout the Middle East.
The military did not offer any more information. The two rockets that triggered air raid sirens in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights were not attributed to the Syrian army.
The Israeli attack claimed to have been a “aerial aggression” close to the southwest city of Deraa, killing eight soldiers and wounding seven more, according to a military source cited by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
“aerial aggression” near the southwestern city of Deraa
In the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, people are grieving by the bodies of relatives who perished in Israeli airstrikes. IMAGE: AFP
International efforts for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to let supplies into Gaza, where Palestinians are living in appalling conditions, are being led by the United States and Russia.
On a phone call on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman decided to deploy more extensive diplomacy “to maintain stability throughout the region and prevent the conflict from spreading,” according to the White House.
Along the Israeli-Lebanon border, deadly clashes have resurfaced between Israel and the Hezbollah armed group of Lebanon, as well as between the Israeli military and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Iran, which has always aimed to dominate the region, has advised Israel to cease its assault on Gaza and supports both Hamas and Hezbollah.
During a midnight raid in the occupied West Bank, Israeli soldiers claimed that a group of Palestinians opened fire on them, and the IDF responded by using a drone. According to Palestinian officials, three persons died.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, since October 7, there have been over 100 Palestinian deaths in combat with the Israeli forces in the West Bank.
The Israeli military also stated that it hit a Hamas diving cell that was trying to enter Israel via the sea close to Kibbutz Zikim. Hamas refrained from commenting on the incident right away.
While Washington works to liberate more of the more than 200 prisoners that Hamas is still keeping in Gaza, the US has recommended Israel to postpone its intended ground attack.
US President Joe Biden, however, responded to reporters when they asked if he was advising Israel to postpone a ground invasion, saying, “The Israelis are making their own decisions.”
US and Russia present opposing ideas
Eight trucks carrying food, medication, and water arrived in Gaza from Egypt late on Tuesday. For the 2.3 million residents of the little coastal strip, UN agencies estimated that more than 20 times the present supply were required.
The US and Russia presented competing plans for humanitarian relief for Palestinian civilians at the UN. Russia wants a humanitarian truce, while Washington has called for violence to stop. In general, a pause is thought to be shorter and less official than a ceasefire.
A fireball erupts during overnight Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip. PHOTO: AFP
Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council, “The whole world is expecting from the Security Council a call for a swift and unconditional ceasefire.” A humanitarian ceasefire is strongly supported by Arab states in the midst of catastrophic devastation in Gaza.
Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, demanded a quick humanitarian truce in Gaza last week.
“While we remain opposed to a ceasefire, we think humanitarian pauses linked to the delivery of aid that still allow Israel to conduct military operations to defend itself are worth consideration,” a top US official stated.
Hospitals running out of fuel
Physicians in Gaza report that after over 1.4 million people left their homes in the enclave for makeshift shelters, patients presenting to hospitals are exhibiting symptoms of diseases brought on by overcrowding and inadequate sanitation.
More than one-third of Gaza’s hospitals and nearly two-thirds of its primary healthcare clinics, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, have closed because of damage or a lack of fuel.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, issued a warning on messaging platform X, stating that due to fuel shortages, it would suspend operations in Gaza on Wednesday night.
To stop Hamas from capturing it, the Israeli military reiterated on Tuesday that it will block the arrival of fuel.
The Gulf state is spearheading mediation negotiations with Israel and Hamas regarding the hostage release, working in tandem with the United States.
Four hostages have been freed by Hamas thus far: two Israeli civilian ladies on Monday and a mother and daughter who hold dual US and Israeli citizenship on Friday
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