The death toll from airstrikes, already at unprecedented levels, had reached more than 2,200.
Thousands of Palestinians have continued to leave northern Gaza and cram into already crowded schools, homes and makeshift shelters in the south, as Israeli airstrikes pound the blockaded strip ahead of an expected ground invasion, media reports said.
Foreign citizens may also be allowed to leave the enclave under a deal agreed by Egypt, Israel and the United States, senior Egyptian and US officials said.
About 2.3 million Palestinians are trapped in Gaza, facing a terrifying escalation of bloodshed and misery, after Israel sealed all crossings into its territory and Egypt reinforced it border crossing, saying it would not allow refugees to enter, The Guardian reported.
Food, fuel and water supplies were dwindling fast on Saturday after Israel cut all movement in and out of Gaza. The death toll from airstrikes, already at unprecedented levels, had reached more than 2,200. That included 724 children and 458 women, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
Israel has vowed to obliterate the Hamas militant group after its fighters broke through the hi-tech fence surrounding the strip and went on a murderous rampage.
Israeli soldiers, their tanks, munitions deployed near Gaza border for invasion of Gaza (Photo/ANI)
Many residents cannot find transport, or cannot travel because they are old, sick, disabled, caring for someone with limited mobility or fear they have nowhere to go. Gaza is already one of the world’s most densely populated places, with 2.3 million people living in a 365sq km area, The Guardian reported.
Palestinians and some regional officials have said they fear Israel’s ultimate aim is not only to destroy Hamas, but to push Palestinian people out of Gaza. This would mirror the Nakba, the Arabic term for the forcible expulsion of about 750,000 Palestinians from what was previously British mandate-controlled Palestine during the creation of Israel in 1948.
King Abdullah of Jordan, which is next to the occupied West Bank, has warned “against any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians from all Palestinian territories or cause their internal displacement”.
In mosques across India, special prayers called Qunooth were offered in conjunction with the Friday prayer, beseeching for peace in Palestine, writes Ahmed Shareef
In a powerful display of solidarity, Indian Muslims across the country joined hands with the global community to protest against Israel’s siege on Gaza. These protests came in response to a call by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, an apex body representing major Muslim organisations in India, to condemn the ongoing Israeli aggression.
In mosques across India, special prayers called Qunooth were offered in conjunction with the Friday prayer, beseeching for peace in Palestine. The major cities of India witnessed massive rallies organised by various political parties. In South India, cities like Bangalore, Chennai, and Cochin were not left behind, with several rallies organized in support of the Palestinian people.
Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, President of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), strongly criticised the stance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seen as supporting Israel. He emphasised that this shift in India’s traditional position on Palestine, which had been consistent since the time of the first Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru, and even under the leadership of the first BJP Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpey, is a cause for concern.
Rahmani stated that Hamas’ reaction to the ongoing atrocities inflicted upon the Palestinian people by Israel is natural, given their 70-year history of suffering. He called for full support for the Palestinian people and an independent Palestinian state as a long-term solution to the conflict.
The recent escalation of violence is attributed to Israel’s actions against the people of Palestine, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, during the Sukkot festivals of the Jewish community. Rahmani criticised the characterization of these reactions as terrorism, emphasizing that it obscures the true atrocities committed by Israel.
Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani
Jamaat-e-Islami, another prominent Indian Muslim organization, also condemned Israel’s actions and called for an amicable and lasting solution to the crisis. They urged people to participate in protest marches throughout India.
Indian Muslim outfit Jamaat-e-Islami also condemned Israel. They demanded an amicable and longterm solution to the issue and called for protest marches throughout India.
P Mujeeb Rahman, president of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Kerala. asked all like-minded people to join the protest rallies.
Various Muslim Orthodox bodies, such as the All India Jameyyathul Ulama and its President Grand Mufti Kantapuram A.P. Abubacker Musliar, called for immediate international intervention from organisations like the UN in the Middle East. They expressed concern over Western and European countries’ failure to intervene during the Israeli attacks on Palestine and their subsequent support of efforts to suppress Hamas.
The South Kerala Jameyyathul Ulama offered full support to the Palestinian people and Hamas, emphasizing their disapproval of the Indian government’s stance on the Palestinian struggle. President Mr. Kadakal Abdul Azeez Moulavy said the organisation will organise protest rallies to unite the people against the atrocities going on in the Gaza strip and protest against Inda’s stance on Israel.
Solidarity, the political wing of Jamat Islami, organised protest marches in various towns, including Calicut. Muslim Youth League organised one of the largest protest in support of Free Palestine in Kozhikode. Mr. PK Kunchalikuty, General Secretary of the Indian Union Muslim League, demanded immediate peace in the Middle East and called for UN peacekeeping forces to be sent to Palestine.
In response to the controversy surrounding Modi’s stance on the Palestine issue, Mr. Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, President of the Kerala State Muslim League, emphasised that the Indian people, regardless of the government’s position, stand with the people of Palestine.
“The Indians are not supporting Modi’s stand on Palestine issue,” Mr Thangal said. “The mind and body of all Indians are with the people of Palestine and they will protest till the creation of Free Palestine.”
The Communist Marxist (CPM) party of India also condemned Israel’s aggression and expressed strong support for Hamas. Several political figures and youth organizations joined the call for peace in Palestine.
CPM Secretary General Seetharam Yechuri and politburo member MA baby strongly supported the Hamas. CPM’s youth wing Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) General Secretary VK Sanoj and president P Vaseef also called for an all India campaign for the creation of Free Palestine.
A minor controversy emerged when former Kerala minister and CPM Central Committee member Ms. KK Shailaja described Hamas as a terrorist organisation in a Facebook post.
Dr Shashi Tharoor, an Indian National Congress leader and Member of Parliament, called for a change in India’s stance on the Palestinian issue, citing India’s historical policy of support for the Palestinian cause.
Sitaram Yechury
In a unanimous resolution, the largest Muslim organisation in Kerala, Samastha Kerala Jameyyathul Ulama, called for the world to come forward and maintain peace in the region.
TP Abdullakoya Madani, President of Kerala Nadvathul Mujahedeen, a Salafi group, requested special prayers in all mosques under their jurisdiction every Friday. The Kerala Salafi group also initiated a solidarity campaign in favor of Palestine.
“The World should come forward for maintaining peace in the ragion,”’ said the organisation in a statement.
Commenting on the situation in Gaza, Mr. Faizal Issudheen, National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political wing of the banned Popular Front of India, expressed strong disapproval of the unethical and unprecedented aggression faced by the Palestinians. He called for global attention and intervention in the ongoing crisis.
In the pictures coming in from the Gaza border, tanks can be seen firing shells towards the Gaza Strip. Moreover, soldiers are seen loading artillery shells into howitzers.
In a move to retaliate against Hamas terror attacks in Israel, Israeli soldiers, their tanks and munitions have been deployed near the Gaza border as they prepare for a full ground offensive against Hamas.
In the pictures coming in from the Gaza border, tanks can be seen firing shells towards the Gaza Strip. Moreover, soldiers are seen loading artillery shells into howitzers.
Adding to this, Israeli infantry troops have been moving closer to the Gaza border in anticipation of a full ground offensive on Hamas.
Earlier in the day, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) asked residents of the Northern Gaza Strip to relocate to the southern part of the enclave using evacuation corridors between 10 am to 4 pm (local time), The Times of Israel reported.
The Israeli military said, “If you care about yourself and your loved ones, go south as instructed.” It further said, “Rest assured that Hamas leaders have taken care of themselves and are taking cover from strikes in the region.”
Their message indicated that the IDF could be readying to launch a ground invasion in response to Hamas’s attack on October 7.
Israeli soldiers, their tanks, munitions deployed near Gaza border for invasion of Gaza (Photo/ANI)
However, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel to “reconsider” its warning, calling it “dangerous and deeply troubling,” according to The New York Times.
Guterres in an opinion article in The New York Times emphasized that such demand for a mass evacuation on extremely short notice could have devastating humanitarian consequences.
The IDF has confirmed that over 120 civilians are being held captive in Gaza by the Hamas terrorist organization. Israeli Defence Forces on Saturday said 1300 people have lost their lives and over 3000 have been injured in the Hamas terror attacks on Israel.
The Israeli Air Force has said that the IDF continues the effort to move the residents of the Gaza Strip in order to protect them in the Gaza Strip. The IDF said a call was sent out to residents of Gaza using a variety of different means in an attempt to minimize the harm to non-combatants. IDF said Hamas terrorists are hiding in terror tunnels located under the houses in Gaza City and in civilian buildings.
The Israel Defence Forces said infantry forces and tanks entered the Gaza Strip on Friday in “localized raids” to clear the area of potential terrorists and locate missing citizens of Israel in a likely precursor to a full-scale incursion in response to Hamas’s attack, The Times of Israel reported. (By Ashoke Raj/ANI)
The Israeli Air Force said that Murad Abu Murad was largely responsible for directing militants to Israel on Saturday.
The Israel Air Forces has said that it has killed the head of Hamas’s Air Force Murad Abu Murad in the airstrike carried out overnight. The strike targeted a headquarters from which Hamas managed its aerial activity in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Air Force said that Murad Abu Murad was largely responsible for directing militants on Saturday.
In a post on X, the Israeli Air Force stated, “Also, during the last day, fighter jets of the Air Force attacked the operational headquarters of the Hamas, from where the organization’s aerial activities were managed. During the attack, Murad Abu Murad, the head of the air formation in Gaza City who took a large part and directed militants in the murderous attack on Saturday, was killed.”
In separate strikes carried out overnight, the Israeli Air Forces said that it had struck dozens of sites belonging to Hamas’s commando forces, who led the infiltration into Israel on October 7, The Times of Israel reported. The Israeli Air Forces said that the Israeli Defence Forces and the Israeli Air Forces will continue to operate “as required in order to defend the State of Israel against the Hamas.”
In a post shared on X, the Israeli Air Force stated, “Last night, IAF fighter jets conducted wide-scale strikes throughout the Gaza Strip. These included dozens of Hamas targets as well as “Nukhba”operatives that were in a staging ground in the Gaza Strip.”
In the latest update on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Israeli Defence Forces Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus noted on Saturday that people in the Gaza Strip are listening to Israel’s warning and are doing the right thing, noting that there has been a significant movement of Palestinian civilians towards the South.
“We have seen a significant movement of the Palestinian civilians towards the south…we have seen people listening to our warning, understanding that they doing the clever thing, moving out of the dangerous area, and the right thing for their family…,” he said.
On Friday the Israeli military had called for the evacuation of all civilians from Gaza City. The IDF says that it had advertised its intentions as it did not want civilians to be affected by the war. The IDF further said that Israel was fighting against Hamas and its military infrastructure.
“We advertised our intentions in advance not because it has any military logic but because we want civilians not to be affected by the war. We didn’t put those civilians there and they are not our enemy. We are not trying to kill or injure any civilians, we are fighting against Hamas and its military infrastructure…that’s where we targeted around the Gaza strip and in the northern part of the Gaza strip,” he said.
Conricus highlighted that the end state of this war is the complete destruction of Hamas and its infrastructure. “We dismantle Hamas and its military capabilities and fundamentally change the situation so that Hamas never again has the ability to inflict any damage on Israeli civilians or soldiers,” the IDF spokesperson said.
The Israeli defence forces have said that more than 120 civilians have been held captive in Gaza by Hamas. (ANI)
After days of airstrikes, the Israeli military has ordered the Palestinians in Gaza City and its surroundings to move to the south of the territory
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the relocation of Gaza residents from the north to the south as ordered by the Israeli military is “extremely dangerous”.
After days of airstrikes, the Israeli military has ordered the Palestinians in Gaza City and its surroundings to move to the south of the territory, said Guterres on Friday.
“Moving more than one million people across a densely populated warzone to a place with no food, water, or accommodation, when the entire territory is under siege, is extremely dangerous — and in some cases, simply not possible.”
Hospitals in the south of Gaza are already at capacity and will not be able to accept thousands of new patients from the north. The health system is on the brink of collapse. Morgues are overflowing; 11 healthcare staff have been killed while on duty; and there have been 34 attacks on health facilities in the past few days, he added before walking into a Security Council meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The entire territory of Gaza faces a water crisis as infrastructure has been damaged and there is no electricity to power pumps and desalination plants, he said.
Guterres added that the situation in Gaza has reached a dangerous new low, Xinhua news agency reported.
The horrific attacks by Hamas on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people and injured thousands more on October 7 were followed by intense Israeli bombardment of Gaza that has already killed 1,800 people and injured thousands more, he noted.
Guterres called for immediate humanitarian access throughout Gaza so that fuel, food and water can be provided to people in need. He called for respect for international humanitarian law and human rights law, and for the protection of civilians. He also called for the immediate release of hostages in Gaza.
“It is imperative that all parties — and those with influence over them — do everything possible to achieve these steps,” he said.
The UN chief also warned against hate speech stoked by the conflict — across the Middle East and around the world.
“Dehumanising language that incites violence is never accepted. I call on all leaders to speak out against Anti-semitism, anti-Muslim bigotry and hate speech of all kinds. This is a time for the international community to come together around protecting civilians and finding a lasting solution to this unending cycle of death and destruction,” Guterres added.
WHO calls for the opening of a humanitarian corridor to allow health workers into the territory, as well as the evacuation of the sick and injured…reports Asian Lite News
The World Health Organization has called for immediate humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, warning Israel’s blockade and bombardment have left the enclave’s health system at “breaking point”.
Noting Gaza’s overstretched hospitals had only a few hours of electricity a day, with fuel being rationed to maintain critical services including intensive care, and X-ray and dialysis services, the United Nations’ health agency called for the opening of a humanitarian corridor to allow health workers into the territory, as well as the evacuation of the sick and injured.
It said shortages of medical supplies were also severe and that time was running out to prevent a humanitarian disaster in a territory that is home to more than two million people.
“Without the immediate entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza – especially health services, medical supplies, food, clean water, fuel, and non-food items – humanitarian and health partners will be unable to respond to urgent needs of people who desperately need it,” the agency said in a statement late on Thursday. “Each lost hour puts more lives at risk.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also raised concern about the deteriorating situation in Gaza, describing the situation as “abhorrent”.
“As Gaza loses power, hospitals lose power, putting newborns in incubators and elderly patients on oxygen at risk. Kidney dialysis stops, and X-rays can’t be taken,” Fabrizio Carboni, the regional director for the Near and Middle East for the ICRC said in a statement on Friday. “Without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues.”
Israel has said it has dropped about 6,000 bombs on Gaza since it began its bombardment almost a week ago following an attack by the armed Hamas group that caught its security forces off-guard and killed more than 1,300 Israelis.
At least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent onslaught and thousands more injured as Israel prepares for a possible ground assault on the enclave.
Gaza has about 30 hospitals, 13 of them operated by the Ministry of Health and others privately run.
The WHO said it had documented 34 attacks on healthcare services in Gaza since Saturday. By yesterday, 11 WHO health workers had been killed while 16 were injured. Another five ICRC workers were killed. The WHO said 20 ambulances had also been hit.
The agency called for the immediate opening of the Rafah border crossing on the border with Egypt.
“WHO is ready to immediately dispatch trauma and essential health supplies … to ensure that they can reach the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing,” the WHO said. “Urgent access through the crossing is essential so that WHO and other humanitarian agencies can act quickly to help save lives.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Israel amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has brought to light the harrowing realities faced by civilians in the region, as well as the security concerns that continue to escalate.
“I’ve seen a baby, an infant riddled with bullets. Soldiers beheaded. Young people burned alive in their cars or in their highway rooms. It almost defies comprehension,” Secretary Blinken expressed anguish at the barbarity of the Hamas attack on October 7 in southern Israel.
“So, we did see, photographs and videos that, the Israeli government shared with us… It’s hard to find the right words. It’s beyond what anyone would ever wanna imagine much less actually see and god forbid experience,” said Blinken on horrific photographs of the Hamas attack.
Furthermore, Secretary Blinken discussed efforts to address the humanitarian needs of the people living in Gaza while safeguarding them from harm during Israel’s legitimate security operations aimed at defending itself from terrorism. He also explored the possibilities of providing safe passage for civilians who wish to leave Gaza, acknowledging the importance of protecting innocent lives.
“We did discuss ways to address the humanitarian needs of people living in, Gaza to protect them from harm while Israel conducts its legitimate security operations to defend itself from terrorism and to try to ensure that this never happens again. We also talked about, possibilities for safe passage for civilians who want to leave or get out of the way, in Gaza, and that’s, a conversation to the discussion that we will pursue, in the coming days, including some of the countries that we’ll be visiting…,” he said.
In his discussions with Israeli leadership, Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend its people and its determination to prevent a recurrence of the tragic events that unfolded recently.
Secretary Blinken, on behalf of President Biden, also emphasized the importance of preventing any further fronts in the ongoing conflict and warned against any attempts by state or non-state actors to exploit the situation.
“It’s our determination and, that of Israel as well, that not be a second front or a third front. And we are working, as hard as we can, working with other partners in the region, to try, to ensure that the case. President Biden has also been very clear that no one, state or non-state actor should try to take advantage of this moment…,” Blinken said.
Hamas spokesperson added that his brigades captured enough Israelis to swap all Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails….reports Asian Lite News
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has vowed to “make Israel pay a higher price” if it carries out a ground offensive in Gaza.
In a televised speech on Thursday, Abu Obaida, spokesperson of Al-Qassam Brigades, said the group would “activate options that will incur heavy loss of lives and properties if Israel dares to carry out a ground offensive in Gaza”, Xinhua news agency reported.
“We have strong armament that can provide an effective defence that the enemy has never seen before and crush its barbaric army,” he warned.
Obaida added that his brigades captured enough Israelis to swap all Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails.
The spokesperson also called on “the Palestinian youths and all the living forces in the Arab and Islamic nations to mobilize on all fronts to join the ongoing battle against Israel.”
Israel has called up a record 360,000 reservists, setting the stage for a possible ground offensive in retaliation for the deadly attack by Hamas since Saturday.
Fire and smoke are seen following an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis on April 7, 2023. Israel on Friday intensified airstrikes on military posts in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, in response to rockets fired from the areas at several parts in Israel, escalating tensions with Palestine over the past three days after Israeli police forcibly expelled Palestinian worshippers from the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua)
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said the death toll from the Hamas attack in Israel has so far risen to over 1,300…reports Asian Lite News
The death toll from Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip and West Bank has totalled 1,569, while 7,212 others were wounded, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry.
The ministry said in a statement that the number of fatalities in Gaza has reached 1,537, including 500 children and 276 women, Xinhua news agency reported.
Israel on Thursday continued its airstrikes on various areas of Gaza in response to a large-scale surprise attack launched by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Saturday.
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said the death toll from the Hamas attack in Israel has so far risen to over 1,300.
“This amounts to approximately 1.1 million people. The same order applied to all UN staff and those sheltered in UN facilities — including schools, health centres and clinics,” the world body said in a statement…reports Asian Lite News
The Israeli military has informed the UN that it wants approximately 1.1 million people living in northern Gaza, which is about half of the population of the Hamas-controlled enclave, to evacuate to southern Gaza in the next 24 hours, a spokesman for the world body said.
According to Stephane Dujarric the spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the military told the UN just before midnight on Thursday that “the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours”, CNN reported.
“This amounts to approximately 1.1 million people. The same order applied to all UN staff and those sheltered in UN facilities — including schools, health centres and clinics,” the world body said in a statement.
“The UN considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences. The UN strongly appeals for any such order, if confirmed, to be rescinded avoiding what could transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation.”
Slamming the UN’s response to the order, Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, said it was just an early warning to the residents of Gaza aimed to “minimise harm to those not involved” in its military operation against Hamas, reports CNN.
“For many years, the UN has turned a blind eye to the arming of Hamas and its use of the civilian population and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip as a hiding place for its weapons and murder,” he said.
“Now, instead of standing by Israel, whose citizens were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists… it preaches to Israel… It is better for the UN to focus now on returning the hostages, condemning Hamas, and supporting Israel’s right to defend itself,” the envoy added.
This development comes ahead of an emergency meeting called on Friday by the UN Security Council in the wake of the raging conflict that erupted after the Hamas launched its surprise large-scale assault on southern Israel on October 7.
In retaliation, Israel has been bombarding the Gaza Strip with airstrikes.
According to the Israeli military, there have been more that 6,000 airstrikes on the Hamas-controlled enclave in the last six days.
The Jewish nation has amassed more than 300,000 reservists along its southern border with Gaza but it is yet to confirm if it was launching a ground offensive.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in Gaza
The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate as a result of Israeli airstrikes, UN humanitarians have said.
More than 338,000 people are now displaced, an increase of 30 per cent since Wednesday. More than 218,000 displaced people are sheltering in schools run by the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
More than 2,500 housing units have been destroyed or severely damaged and rendered uninhabitable while nearly 23,000 units have sustained moderate to minor damage, said the office.
At least 88 education facilities have been struck, including 18 UNRWA schools, two of which were used as emergency shelters for the displaced. This means that for the sixth consecutive day, more than 600,000 children have had no access to education at a safe place in Gaza, it said.
Gaza’s sole power plant ran out of fuel and has stopped functioning. Since the start of hostilities on Saturday, seven significant water and sewage facilities serving more than 1 million people were hit by airstrikes and have been severely damaged. Half of the bakeries have less than a week’s supply of wheat flour, while 70 per cent of shops report significantly decreased food stocks, it added.
Humanitarian agencies continue to face major constraints in providing humanitarian assistance. Insecurity is preventing safe access to impacted areas and warehouses, said OCHA.
Despite the challenging conditions, humanitarian workers have provided some assistance, including the distribution of fresh bread to 137,000 displaced people, the delivery of 70,000 litres of fuel to water and sanitation facilities, and the activation of psychosocial support helplines, it said.
UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths on Wednesday allocated $9 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to urgently respond to relief efforts.
Volker Turk says Israel’s imposition of sieges endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival…reports Asian Lite News
Israeli retaliatory air strikes against the Hamas militant group struck residential buildings and schools across the Gaza Strip, UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday, adding that “sieges” were illegal under international law.
Turk also condemned “horrifying mass killings by members of Palestinian armed groups” and said the militants’ abduction of hostages was also forbidden under international law.
The Israeli military said on Monday it had called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists and was imposing a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, in a sign it may be planning a ground assault in response to the devastating weekend attacks by Hamas gunmen.
Israel’s air attacks — the worst in the 75-year history of its conflict with the Palestinians — also hit “premises of the UN relief and works agency, UNRWA (UN Palestinian refugee agency),” a UN rights office statement said, adding that civilians were among the dead and injured.
Israel vowed to take “mighty revenge” after the Hamas attack left its streets strewn with bodies. Israeli media said 900 people were killed in the attacks and most were civilians, while nearly 700 Gazans were killed in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza officials, with entire districts in Gaza flattened.
Israel’s defense forces said on social media platform X that aircraft had hit military targets, including weapons storage and manufacturing sites.
Turk said Israel’s “imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law.”
“This risks seriously compounding the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the capacity of medical facilities to operate, especially in light of increasing numbers of injured,” he said, adding that a siege may amount to “collective punishment.”
Such acts may amount to a war crime, UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani later clarified. The UN rights office’s findings were based on a review of available material, including from its own monitors on the ground, she said.
Separately, a UN -appointed Commission of Inquiry said in a statement there was already “clear evidence that war crimes may have been committed” by all sides to the conflict. It said it was collecting evidence to ensure future legal accountability.
Some 187,500 people have fled their homes in Gaza, a UN humanitarian office offices spokesperson said at the same briefing, warning of shortages of water and electricity.
“UNICEF is extremely alarmed about measures to cut electricity, to cut food, to cut water to cut fuel from entering Gaza. This will add another layer of suffering to the existing catastrophe faced by families in Gaza,” said UN children’s agency spokesperson James Elder. He added that “hundreds” of Israeli and Palestinian children had been killed since the weekend, without giving details.
World Health Organization’s Tarik Jasarevic said that 13 attacks on health facilities in Gaza had been confirmed by its monitoring service since hostilities began.
It was working on a humanitarian corridor for the Gaza strip, but stores of medical supplies had already run out, he said.
Blinken arrives in Tel Aviv
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv along with a team of officials, Israel-based i24 News English reported. His visit to Tel Aviv comes amid the ongoing conflict.
The US officials accompanying Blinken include his counsellor Derek Chollet, his Deputy Chief of Staff Tom Sullivan, US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr, and Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Steve Gillen.
During his visit, Blinken will hold a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Brigadier General Gal Hirsch and other Israeli officials. After concluding his visit to Israel, Blinken will meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Abbas in Amman.
Speaking to reporters ahead of his departure from the US, Blinken said, “We are heading, as you know, to Israel, and I’m going with a very simple and clear message on behalf of the President of the United States and on behalf of the American people, and that is that the United States has Israel’s back. We have the back of the Israeli people. We have their back today. We’ll have it tomorrow. We will have it every day.”
Blinken said that he would meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Issac Herzog and other senior officials in Israel. He stated that he is looking forward to meeting the US embassy team in Israel. He said that the US is determined to provide everything that Israel needs to defend itself.
He further said, “We’re determined to make sure that Israel gets everything it needs to defend itself, and provide for the security of its people. Already, significant military assistance requested by Israel is on the way. That’s on top of everything that we’ve been doing for years, including with the memorandum of understanding that was negotiated by President Obama, to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself.” (ANI)
