The war on Gaza has entered its 33rd day, with no sign of a ceasefire between the Palestinian resistance and the Israeli occupation. The Palestinian resistance continues to launch rockets deep into Israel and confront the Israeli ground invasion, while the Israeli occupation rejects any humanitarian truce and demands the release of prisoners. The Israeli aggression has killed more than 10,500 Palestinians, mostly children and women, and destroyed vital infrastructure and civilian housing.
According to Ashraf Al-Qudra, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the death toll has risen to 10,569 people since the start of the aggression, including 4,324 children and 2,823 women. He said that the Israeli occupation had committed 27 massacres in the past hours, killing 241 people. He also said that the Israeli occupation kills a child every 10 minutes in Gaza and that 70% of the martyrs are children and women. He called on the United Nations and the Red Cross to be present in hospitals to stop Israeli threats and to provide safe humanitarian corridors for the flow of aid and fuel.
The director of Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza said that half of the hospitals and 60% of health facilities in the Strip were out of service. He added that 192 medical and health personnel were killed, 40 ambulances were destroyed, 113 health institutions were severely damaged, and 18 hospitals and 40 health centres were out of service.
Enas Abu Khalaf, head of the media office of Doctors Without Borders in the Middle East and North Africa, called for a ceasefire in Gaza. She said that the humanitarian situation was dire and that the medical staff were overwhelmed by the number of casualties.
The regional spokeswoman for the Red Cross said that a convoy that was supposed to arrive in Gaza on Tuesday changed its route after being shot at. She said that the aid brought into Gaza was insufficient to meet the basic needs of the population.
In the West Bank, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported 61 injuries in clashes with the Israeli occupation forces in Bethlehem. It said that seven of the injuries were from live bullets.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said that the Israeli occupation forces arrested 65 Palestinians in the West Bank on Wednesday night and dawn. It said that the occupation forces had arrested 2,280 Palestinians since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation carried out by the Palestinian resistance on 7 October.
The UN rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, said that launching a military operation in Gaza knowing that it will destroy infrastructure and civilian housing is a war crime. He also said that asking more than a million Gazans to move from north to south is a violation of international law and that this Israeli behaviour is considered an international crime.
On Wednesday, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, claimed that they destroyed 136 Israeli military vehicles that attempted to invade the Gaza Strip. Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the group, said in a video speech that Israel had avoided full engagement with the resistance and that the Al-Qassam Brigades would continue to fight on all fronts.
He also said that Israel was obstructing the efforts to release the detainees held by Hamas and that the only way to free them was through a comprehensive deal.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army confirmed the death of another soldier in the Gaza battles, bringing the total number of fatalities to 34 since the start of the ground operation. Four more soldiers were severely wounded in the clashes.
The Palestinian factions launched several rocket attacks on the Israeli settlements around Gaza, in response to the Israeli aggression that has been going on for the 33rd day.
On the other hand, UN Secretary-General António Guterres criticized Israel for the high number of civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He said that the Israeli military operations showed a clear error and that the sympathy for Israel was greatly diminished.
Guterres also noted that the number of journalists killed in Gaza was unprecedented and that the laws of war must be respected. He added that he understood the Israeli concern for security, but that the issue of governance in Gaza after the operation belonged to the Palestinian people.
The UN chief’s remarks angered Israel, which demanded his resignation.
In addition, the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter called for imposing sanctions on Israel due to its ongoing attacks on Gaza. She said that Israel dropping bombs like rain on Gaza was an inhumane act and that Israel did not care about the international calls for a ceasefire.
US President Joe Biden also said that he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a temporary halt to the fighting in Gaza during a phone call on Monday. He said that they discussed the possibility of a humanitarian pause and the release of the hostages.
According to an informed source quoted by Agence France-Presse, Qatar is leading mediation efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.
The source, who is familiar with the talks, said that Qatar is working in coordination with the United States to free 10 to 15 hostages who were captured by Hamas during its attack on Israel a month ago. In return, Israel would agree to stop the fighting in Gaza for one or two days.
Hamas, through its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, has already released some of its prisoners for humanitarian reasons, with the help of Qatari mediation.
