Israel has continued its intensive bombing of the Gaza Strip, resuming military operations in violation of the previously established ceasefire agreement. This escalation comes as global protests continue to intensify, calling for an immediate end to the war and for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the besieged territory.
In response to the crisis, Cairo is hosting a meeting of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee, which is tasked with coordinating international action on the situation. The meeting includes foreign ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine, Qatar, Turkey, and Indonesia, as well as the Secretary-General of the Arab League and the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Additionally, representatives from Bahrain and the UAE, along with the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, are also in attendance.
Ophir Falk, foreign policy adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the Israeli military would continue targeting Hamas positions in Gaza in an effort to secure the release of hostages. He argued that “military pressure” had previously forced Hamas to accept the November 2023 truce, which led to the release of around 80 hostages. Falk insisted that ongoing military operations remain “the best way” to ensure the release of the remaining 59 hostages.
Meanwhile, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported that Israeli airstrikes had killed 41 people and injured 61 others in the past 24 hours. Since the resumption of hostilities on Tuesday, the death toll has risen to 673, with 1,233 wounded. The total number of fatalities since the war began has now reached 50,021, with 113,274 people injured. These figures reflect the ongoing humanitarian toll of the conflict.
The Gaza Media Office has warned that more than 2.4 million Palestinians are now facing “an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe” as a result of the ongoing Israeli attacks and the closure of border crossings, which is preventing essential humanitarian aid from entering the region. The office has accused Israel of implementing a “systematic starvation policy” by blocking the delivery of food and medical supplies, destroying water wells, and restricting access to drinking water, exacerbating the dire conditions faced by residents of Gaza.
In response to the ongoing hostilities, Hamas has criticized Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s comments, which suggested that Prime Minister Netanyahu had approved his demand to resume the war. Hamas stated that these remarks “confirm that the extremist government has overturned previous agreements.” The group further added that continued Israeli statements refute US accusations that Hamas is responsible for obstructing the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas is calling on international mediators and the US administration to apply pressure on the Netanyahu government to halt its military operations. The group has also urged Arab and Islamic nations to take “urgent action” to stop what it describes as an “ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.”
