The Israel-led Gaza war, now in its eighth month, has met with a stalled ceasefire push leading to further bomb attacks in the central and southern parts of the area, resulting in at least 28 Palestinian fatalities on Friday. Israeli tank forces also moved towards the western peripheries of Rafah.
Efforts made by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, backed by the US, to harmonise conflicting demands and thus bring about a cessation of the ongoing battle, release Israeli captives and Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and allow unrestricted aid into Gaza to mitigate the prevailing humanitarian crisis, have been unsuccessful. Insiders revealed that there was still no indication of any potential agreement.
A month post the infiltration into Rafah by Israel, with the objectives of eradicating the intact Hamas combat units, troops led by tanks have progressed towards the southwest boundaries of the city, bordering the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Locals reported that tanks had been positioned in the al-Izba district near the Mediterranean coast with certain buildings and elevated areas seized by snipers, thus imprisioning civilians in their homes. They also reported that the intensive Israeli machine gun fire had rendered it unsafe to venture outside.
Medical authorities in Gaza reported the death of two Palestinians and the injury of several more in western Rafah due to tank shelling in that area. They also reported at least 15 overnight casualties arising from Israeli attacks in the central region of Gaza.
One Palestinian local inferred that the invading forces were trying to occupy the coastal zones of Rafah and that the assaults were tactical, with the forces invading amid heavy gunfire before retreating.
In the northern part of Gaza, an Israeli air attack on a school in Gaza City, which was being used as a shelter for displaced families, claimed three Palestinian lives, according to rescue workers.
The Israeli military claimed that it had aimed the attack at Hamas gunmen who were operating from within a container placed inside the school, a similar reason given for an air attack on a UN school in al-Nuseirat, central Gaza, on Thursday. Medical authorities reported that this attack resulted in 40 deaths, including 14 children. The UN stated that approximately 6,000 displaced individuals were taking shelter at the attacked site.
The Israeli military also declared the identities of 17 fighters who it claimed were hidden in the compound and killed during the strike on Thursday.
Hamas has disputed statements from Israel that a hidden command post was located in a local school. The Israeli army points the finger at Hamas for the elevated civilian casualty rates in Gaza, alleging that the group uses heavily crowded neighbourhoods, schools and medical facilities as shields, a claim which Hamas refutes. United Nations and humanitarian representatives blame Israel for implementing excessive force in the ongoing conflict, a charge which Israel refutes. Hamas accuses Israel of intentionally targeting civilian locations, an accusation which is also denied by Israel.
On a recent Friday, it was announced by Israel that Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has added the Israeli military to a global list of groups that have violated children’s rights, an action which was labelled as “disgraceful” by Gilad Erdan, Israel’s envoy to the United Nations. The notification reached Mr Erdan officially on Friday. This list is part of an upcoming report regarding children and armed conflicts to be submitted to the UN Security Council on June 14th.
Mr Erdan commented on the decision, claiming, “The Israeli military is the world’s most ethical, thus this unethical decision can only aid terrorists and fuel Hamas’s actions.” The exact breaches that the Israeli military have been accused of are still unclear. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for Mr Guterres, chose not to pass any comments.
As per the reports from the media office of the Gaza government run by Hamas, over 15,500 children became casualties because of the Israeli attack on Gaza since October 7th. Israel has categorically refused to consider peace until Hamas is completely defeated. Most of the Gaza region is in ruins, with Hamas demonstrating persistence, with their militants returning to areas of previous combat where they claim Israeli forces retreated after declaring victory.
Hamas initiated the war as militants from Israeli-blockade Gaza launched a surprise attack into southern Israel last October 7th. About 1,200 individuals were killed and over 250 were kidnapped back to Gaza. Israeli sources recorded this information. Israel’s assault and bombardment of Gaza since has led to the death of an estimated 36,731 individuals, out of which 77 were killed in the last 24 hours, according to a Friday update from the Gaza health ministry. Thousands are suspected to be dead under debris, with the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people having been displaced.
Repeated attempts to initiate a ceasefire since a weeklong truce in November have been in vain, with Hamas maintaining demands for an everlasting conclusion to the war and comprehensive Israeli retreat from Gaza.
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, will travel back to the Middle East in the upcoming week. This journey is part of an endeavour by the US to influence Israel and the Palestinian organisation Hamas to accept the suggestion of a ceasefire put forth previously by the US president, Joe Biden. However, Israel has expressed its readiness to talk about mere temporary halts in the conflict until they can completely eradicate the Islamist militant group that has been reigning over the impoverished Gaza Strip since 2007, and it no longer poses a security danger. – Reuters
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