Israel-Palestine live: Thousands in state of panic as Israel continues to strike hospitals
Mises à jour du direct
13 people were killed in the Gaza Strip, including children, as Israel ramps up its bombing campaign of the Gaza Strip and its soldiers clash with Hamas fighters.
At least 13 people including children were killed in a strike on a house in Al-Zawaida in the central Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian media reports. Shelling was also reported in Rafah.
Meanwhile, Shuhada Al Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza was thrust into darkness early Tuesday after it ran out of fuel.
The UN’s Humanitarian chief expressed “real fears” about what comes next in Gaza as Israel press ahead with its ground invasion amid calls for a ceasefire.
“We have very real fears about what lies ahead,” Martin Griffiths said on Monday. “The current situation in Gaza may pale in comparison with what is to come.”
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
Griffiths called the trickle of aid going into the besieged enclave via the Rafah border crossing “a drop in the ocean compared to the vast scale of needs.”
“It is imperative that we are able get humanitarian supplies and relief into Gaza safely, reliably, without impediment, and at the scale required,’ he added a statement delivered to the UN Security Council on his behalf.
Israel is conducting air raids in the area around the European Hospital in southern Gaza, Palestinian media reports.
Israeli warplanes were reported flying at low levels near the hospital. Meanwhile, intensive airstrikes have also been reported in the area around Al Quds Hospital in the west of the Gaza Strip.
The strikes come as Israel pushes ahead with its ground assault. The death toll in Gaza surpasses 8,000 people Monday, 70 percent of whom are women and children, according to Palestinian health officials.
Israeli fighter jets attacked Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon on Monday as the exchange of fire along the northern border intensified.
The strikes come after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a series of attacks against Israel's military on Monday.
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Monday he was doing everything possible to prevent his country from sliding into war, although the Lebanese government has little leverage over Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran.
The US is continuing not to put any restrictions on the use of weapons it provides Israel, as the death toll in Gaza surpasses 8,000 people, 70 percent of whom are women and children, according to Palestinian health officials.
“We are not putting any limits on how Israel uses weapons that is provided,” Department of Defense Deputy Spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters Monday.
"That is really up to the Israel Defense Force to use in how they are going to conduct their operations. But we're not putting any constraints on that,” she added.
Good evening readers of Middle East Eye.
It is now the 24th day of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Heavy bombardment is continuing in the Strip. The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 8,000 people. According to the humanitarian aide organisation Unicef, over 420 children are killed or injured in Gaza every day, and 70 percent of people killed in Gaza are women and children.
Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip are facing forced displacement and collective punishment, Unrwa said at a United Nations Security Council meeting.
The UN has warned of escalating danger in Syria amidst the Israel-Palestine war, saying that the “spillover into Syria” has already begun.
The final US chartered flight for Americans leaving Israel departs Tuesday, the State Department announced. Demand for the flights has fallen sharply, which is prompting the end of the flights.
In case you’re just tuning into our coverage this evening, here’s what you missed throughout the day:
- The Israeli military said on Monday it rescued a soldier held by Hamas in Gaza during a ground operation in the besieged Strip.
- Just days after Al Jazeera journalist Wael Dahdouh’s family was killed by an Israeli air strike, a correspondent for Al Jazeera English received a “threatening phone call” from the Israeli army on Monday, asking her to leave her home.
- Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, released a video of what the group said were prisoners held by their members in Gaza.
- In return, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the video as “cruel psychological propaganda”.
- He also said Israel would not agree to a cessation of fighting with Hamas after the 7 October attack, but agreed to an increase in Gaza aid in a call with Biden
- Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the US of the “deadly chaos” he claims is currently engulfing the Middle East.
For updates around the clock, follow MEE’s live blog and our social media platforms on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip are facing forced displacement and collective punishment, the chief of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) said at a Security Council meeting on Monday.
Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general of Unrwa, noted that the recent communication blackout significantly disrupted civil order in Gaza.
He cautioned that if the situation deteriorates further, it could “make it extremely difficult, if not impossible” for the United Nations to carry out its operations in the region.
Unrwa said that they have lost 64 members of staff, the highest number ever in that period of time.
Pro-Israel advertisements with graphic content are appearing in video games targeted at children, Reuters reported.
Reuters spoke to a family whose six-year-old's puzzle game on his Android phone was interrupted by a video showing Hamas fighters, terrified Israeli families, and blurred graphic footage.
Over a black screen, a message from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the first grader: “WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THOSE WHO HARM US PAY A HEAVY PRICE.”
The news agency has recorded at least five instances throughout Europe in which the same pro-Israel video was displayed to gamers, including numerous children. This video contained images of rocket attacks, a blazing explosion, and gunmen wearing masks.
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ head of digital, David Saranga, told Reuters that the footage was part of a larger advocacy drive by the Israeli foreign ministry, which has spent $1.5m on internet ads since 7 October.
Prominent Israeli-British historian Avi Shlaim conveyed to a London audience on Monday that the support from the US, UK and European Union for Israel, especially in military terms, implicates them in the “mass slaughter” in the Gaza Strip.
“The western response to the crisis is the usual hypocrisy and ruthless double standards, but this time it’s been taken to a new level. The western love of Israel has always been accompanied, has always depended on the erasing of Palestinian history and humanity,” he said at an event hosted by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians.
“Deep concern for Israel’s security is reiterated at all times by western leaders - but not a thought is given to Palestinian security.”
Speaking on Monday, Shlaim, who is Oxford University’s emeritus professor of international relations, said that Palestinians’ resistance had been “decontextualised and dehistoricised” and that media and political coverage of the ongoing violence in Gaza largely ignored the situation prior to the Hamas operation in southern Israel on 7 October.
“So there’s no end to the bloodshed and the next war is always around the corner.”
In an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting, Unicef’s executive director Catherine Russell said over 420 children are killed or injured in Gaza every day, and that 70 percent of people dying in Gaza are women and children.
Because of the lack of clean water and safe sanitation, Gaza “is on the verge of becoming a catastrophe”, she said. People are at risk of dehydration and water-borne diseases.
She added that there is only one desalination plant, which is operating at five percent capacity in Gaza. All six of Gaza’s water-waste treatment plants are currently non-operational, she said.
In a call with US President Joe Biden on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu committed to supporting a significant increase of aid flow into Gaza, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.
At the White House briefing on Monday, Kirby said that Biden “received a commitment that Israelis will endeavour to support a significant increase in the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
He said they were hoping to get in additional trucks, but even with an increase, it would take time to make up the difference.
Kirby also added that Israel is making an effort to avoid civilian casualties but the US does not believe a ceasefire is the right answer now.
Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned “in the strongest terms” the Israeli strike on Gaza’s Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital.
It said the attacks and the blockade were in clear violation of international law.
“It is inexplicable for such an attack to take place given all the necessary information, including the coordinates of the institution in question, which is the only cancer hospital in Gaza, was shared with Israeli authorities in advance,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The US condemned the incidents in Dagestan, a republic in Russia, and Vladimir Putin called on Russian law enforcement to take “firm” actions in response to a mob attack on a flight that had arrived from Israel on Sunday.
A large crowd in the hundreds stormed an airport in the capital of Dagestan on Sunday evening.
Videos shared on social media showed a large crowd on the airport’s landing field waving Palestinian flags and also showed some people checking the passports of passengers who had arrived in the city.
On Monday, the US called on Russia to protect Israelis and Jewish people.
“The US unequivocally stands with the entire Jewish community as we witness a worldwide surge in antisemitism. There is never any excuse or justification for antisemitism,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson wrote on social media.
On Monday, Putin urged Russian law enforcement to act decisively.
“I want to draw the attention of heads of all regions, heads of law enforcement agencies and special services to the need for firm, timely and clear actions to protect Russia’s constitutional order, the rights and freedoms of our citizens, inter-ethnic and inter-religious harmony,” Putin said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin levelled accusations at the United States on Monday, holding it accountable for the "deadly chaos" he claims is currently engulfing the Middle East.
"Who is organising the deadly chaos and who benefits from it today, in my opinion, has already become obvious... It is the current ruling elites of the US and their satellites who are the main beneficiaries of world instability," Putin said in televised comments.
He added that the key to resolving the war in Israel and Palestine is the creation of a Palestinian state.
"Palestinians can only be helped by fighting those who are behind this conflict," he said. "We are fighting them in Ukraine."
A Conservative ministerial aide has been removed from his position after openly calling on Rishi Sunak to support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, deviating from the official party line.
In a two-page letter to the prime minister last week, Paul Bristow wrote, "A permanent ceasefire would save lives and allow for a continued column of humanitarian aid [to] reach the people who need it the most."
On Monday, Downing Street said Bristow had made comments which "were not consistent with the principles of collective responsibility".
