The Northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya experienced an Israeli attack on Saturday, pushing the death count to at least 73, according to reports from the Gaza media office.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, received a call from UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, following an alleged drone attack on his vacation residence. Downing Street revealed that Mr Starmer expressed serious concerns regarding what Mr Netanyahu termed an attempt on his life.
The leaders had a discussion about the recent events in the Middle East, post the death of Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar. The latter was described by Mr. Netanyahu as a ruthless terrorist who’s death makes the world a safer place. The UK PM took the opportunity to talk about the potential of using Sinwar’s death to put a stop to the violence and secure the release of hostages. He emphasised the urgent need for significant aid to flow into Gaza.
Following comments made in Berlin on Friday, Mr Starmer invited the global community to use this post-Sinwar period to establish a ceasefire. However, he also warned that the international community would not accept additional excuses for the restriction of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, as the Israeli offensive has already taken the lives of over 42,000 Palestinians.
The US voiced concerns over the dwindling aid to Gaza and warned Israel, via letter, about a potential suspension of military funding for Tel Aviv if the humanitarian status continued to worsen.
Both Israel and Hamas have shown reluctance to announce a ceasefire following Sinwar’s death, while Hizbullah continues to fire rockets at northern Israel. Mr Netanyahu claimed that a reported attack on his home was attributable to Hizbullah, a move he termed a ‘grave mistake’.
He declared: “as the State of Israel, we remain undeterred in our righteous war against our foes to safeguard our future.” Simultaneously, Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pledged that Hamas, backed by Iran, would continue the fight. This sentiment is shared by Hizbullah, also Iranian-supported, who independently attacked Israel with ballistic missiles earlier in the month.