Humanitarian crisis worsens as Gaza war enters 18th day

Israel said on Tuesday it had killed dozens of Hamas fighters overnight in strikes on Gaza and indicated that it had no intention of easing its bombardment of the besieged Palestinian enclave.

The United States urged Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, trapped in a humanitarian crisis after two weeks of intense Israeli attacks.

But there appeared to be little prospect of a ceasefire any time soon in the bloodiest episode in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in decades.

On Tuesday, Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli military, stated that the IDF was “ready and determined” for the next phase of the conflict and was awaiting political direction. Israel Defence Force claimed to have destroyed “over 400 terrorist targets in the past 24 hours” in what is referred to as “a wide-scale operation to dismantle Hamas’ terrorist capabilities” in a social media post.

The 7 October Hamas attack was called “one of the worst atrocities of modern times” by Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, who also charged Hezbollah in Lebanon with “playing with fire” in Israel’s northern region. Hezbollah and Israel are under tension, he claimed, and he added, “We are not looking for a confrontation on our northern border or with anyone else. Our priorities are dismantling Hamas’ infrastructure and returning our citizens to their homes. But it should be obvious that Lebanon will suffer if Hezbollah manages to provoke war with us.

Emmanuel Macron said the incident on October 7 was a “immense shock” for the entire world, “especially in France” when speaking to the media during a trip to Israel. The victims of the Hamas attack “were killed just because they were Jewish,” he claimed, adding that France supported Israel “today, tomorrow, and the day after.” He claimed that France has a “duty” to combat terrorist organisations.

Two additional hostages were freed by Hamas in Gaza for “humanitarian and health reasons.” The Israeli military is presently caring for Yocheved Lifschitz, 85, and Nurit Cooper [also known as Nurit Yitzhak], 79, who were taken hostage on October 7 together with their husbands from the kibbutz Nir Oz near the Gaza border. This was confirmed by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the UN’s humanitarian organisation OCHA, around 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are currently displaced, and the lack of access to safe drinking water as well as congestion have grown to be of “major concern”.

The UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) announced this morning that six more of its employees had died in Gaza overnight, raising the total number of fatalities since October 7 to 35. According to the report, Israeli airstrikes have already damaged 40 UNRWA facilities.

The government in the UK believes six British citizens are being held captive by Hamas, according to junior minister Victoria Atkins, who cautioned that “it’s a very fast-moving situation and that figure may or may not change.”

The recent rise in anti-Jewish violence in Germany has been denounced by the nation’s antisemitism commissioner, who also issued a warning that it runs the risk of returning the nation to its “most horrific times.” Felix Klein stated in a Guardian interview that he was concerned about the erosion of fundamental rights as officials sought to crack down on expressions of support for the Palestinian people.

According to John Kirby, the national security council’s strategic communications coordinator, the Biden administration does not think the time is right for a ceasefire in Gaza. He echoed earlier remarks made by President Joe Biden when he told CNN that the US position was that all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza must be freed first.

According to the health ministry administered by Hamas in Gaza, at least 5,087 Palestinians, including 2,055 children, have died in Israeli airstrikes since October 7 while 15,273 have been injured. According to the report, the most of the casualties happened in the southern Gaza Strip, where the Israeli military has ordered Palestinians to flee. There is no independent verification of the assertions.

Since early October, some 20,000 people have been internally displaced in south Lebanon and other parts of the country, according to a UN agency, a reflection of the rising violence on the Lebanese-Israeli border. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) of the UN revealed that 19,646 people had been uprooted inside Lebanon since it started keeping track of migration on October 8, the day following the attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel.

On Monday, a third convoy of relief trucks crossed into Gaza from Egypt at the Rafah gate. A total of 34 trucks travelled by on Saturday and Sunday. The UN estimated that 100 trucks a day would be required to meet Gaza’s daily needs and that the amount of aid that has so far arrived is only 4% of the daily average before the war.

(With agency inputs)