As Israel maintained its ruthless shelling of the besieged Palestinian enclave, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to address Arab appeals for a truce on Saturday in Jordan.
15 people were slain in an Israeli airstrike on an ambulance, according to Gaza health officials. Israeli attacks against Palestinians have resulted in at least 9,250 deaths.
Health officials in the Hamas-run territory of Gaza claimed on Friday that the ambulance that was struck by the Israeli strike was a part of a convoy that was transporting wounded Palestinians to the largest hospital in Gaza, al-Shifa.
IDF strikes destroy Al-Azhar University buildings in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/0a1dB7yZyP
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 4, 2023
Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra stated, “Upon their arrival to al-Shifa, (Israel) directly targeted the convoy’s second vehicle, committing a terrible massacre that claimed lives of fifteen and wounded over sixty.”
An ambulance “being used by a Hamas cell” was located and struck, according to the Israeli military, which also claimed that several Hamas fighters were killed.
“We want to be clear that this is a combat zone. For their own protection, civilians in the region are frequently asked to relocate south,” the Israeli military said.
Israel was called out by the Palestinian Health Ministry for bombing the ambulance and for failing to produce evidence that the vehicle was carrying militants.
“A hideous massacre was carried out by the occupation, resulting in the martyrdom of fifteen individuals and the injuries of sixty others, including several displaced people,” al-Qidra declared.
The Israeli military claimed it planned to release more information, but it offered no proof for its claim that the ambulance was associated with Hamas.
Hamas and the hospital both refute Israel’s allegations that it concealed command centers and tunnel entrances in al-Shifa.
Israel issued an order last month for all people to evacuate Gaza City and the northern portion of the Gaza Strip in favor of the southern portion of the enclave, which it has continued to pound.
The already terrible living conditions in Gaza prior to the fighting have gotten worse. Residents have turned to drinking salty water due to a lack of food, and medical
Gaza health officials report that three individuals, including two women, were killed by an Israeli air attack in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, early on Friday morning.
Of the 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza, the UN humanitarian office OCHA estimates that almost 1.5 million are internally displaced.
“Persisting in full force”
According to two people close to Hamas’ leadership, the organization is ready for a protracted conflict in Gaza and thinks it can stall Israel’s approach long enough to pressure its fiercest foe into accepting a truce.
Invasion of Gaza by IDF continues. pic.twitter.com/8uYg5Amd6b
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 4, 2023
According to the sources, the group feels that worldwide pressure on Israel to lift the siege may lead to a truce and a diplomatic settlement wherein the militant group would receive a concrete concession in exchange for Israeli captives, such as the release of Palestinian detainees.
Blinken advocated for a humanitarian ceasefire during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday while on a tour of the area. He claimed that this would help efforts to free captives and enable aid into Gaza, but would not stop Israel from defending itself.
Netanyahu rejected the notion of a halt in a televised speech unless the captives were released.
On Friday, a top Biden administration official stated that the US was engaged in “indirect engagement” with the goal of releasing the captives.
The foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, together with Palestinian representatives, are all expected to meet with Blinken on Saturday in Amman, according to the Jordanian foreign ministry.
The ministry released a statement stating that the Arab leaders will emphasize the “Arab stance calling for an immediate ceasefire, delivering humanitarian aid and ways of ending the dangerous deterioration that threatens the security of the region”.
Washington has called on its ally to take action to prevent civilian casualties and alleviate Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe, but it has continued to provide Israel with strong military and political assistance.
The head of Hezbollah in Lebanon issued a warning to the US while Blinken was in Israel, stating that if Israel continued to attack Gaza, the situation would escalate into a regional confrontation.
In his first statement since the Israel-Hamas crisis broke out, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah hinted that his group was prepared to take on US warships in the Mediterranean and warned the US as well.
Hezbollah continues to strike Israeli army targets on Lebanon border. pic.twitter.com/UQxr5z3eJc
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 4, 2023
Hezbollah, a heavily armed supporter of Hamas, has been fighting Israeli forces on the border between Lebanon and Israel in the largest flare-up since the group’s 2006 conflict with Israel.
“You, the Americans, can stop the aggression against Gaza because it is your aggression,” Nasrallah stated. “Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza.”
He continued by saying that Hezbollah was unafraid of the US naval force Washington has gathered in the area since the crisis broke out.
Since October 7, other factions have joined the conflict; in Iraq and Syria, militias have opened fire on US forces, and the Houthis of Yemen have launched drones toward Israel.
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