The Israeli army has intensified its attacks in Rafah, southern Gaza, and struck Gaza City, while paralyzing humanitarian aid operations across the Palestinian territory as ceasefire talks drag on. are terminated without agreement.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said Friday that 110,000 Palestinians had fled Rafah. Israeli troops were advancing in the east of the city in close combat operations and carrying out air raids.
“People are petrified. People have feared this for a long, long time and now it has. There is constant bombing. There is smoke on the horizon. There are people moving,” Sam Rose, UNRWA’s director of planning, told Tel Aviv Tribune from Rafah.
He said Israel was subjecting Gaza to a “medieval siege” in a “scorched earth” war.
Israeli forces took control of the Rafah border crossing earlier this week, sealing the crucial entry point for humanitarian aid.
“No aid has arrived in Gaza since Sunday. No help, no fuel, no supplies, nothing. And we’re really down to our last reserves,” Rose said.
“We still have a few days of flour that we can supply. But everything else will very soon start to stop without fuel, without water. So the situation is really desperate,” he added.
Under violent attacks, patients and staff were forced to leave Rafah hospitals, leaving many sick and injured Palestinians without any means of treatment.
“Al-Najjar hospital is out of service. And the Kuwaiti hospital (in Rafah) is reserved for trauma and emergencies,” said Palestinian doctor Mohammed Zaqout. “We have no beds, no hospitals to refer (people to), especially for critical patients.”
Further north, witnesses reported airstrikes and fighting in areas of Gaza City, targeting Zeitoun, Sabra, Nassr, Tal al-Hawa and the Shati refugee camp. At least three people were killed and five injured after Israeli strikes hit a family home in central Gaza City, according to the Wafa news agency.
Necessary “flexibility”
Israeli and Hamas delegations left the Egyptian capital, Cairo, after the latest round of ceasefire talks, brokered by Qatar, the United States and Egypt. Hamas said Friday that “the ball is now entirely” in Israel’s hands.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said both sides must show “flexibility” in order to reach a ceasefire agreement and exchange of captives held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas said a deal would involve a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the return of Palestinians displaced by the war and an exchange of captives for prisoners, with the aim of a “permanent ceasefire”.
The group said it stood by the terms and that Israel had “raised objections on several central issues.”
Hamas’ demand for an initial 12-week pause in fighting was a major sticking point for Israel during this week’s ceasefire negotiations, CNN reported, citing three sources close to Hamas. talks.
“Fight with your nails”
Israel is determined to continue its offensive on Rafah, where 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, in defiance of warnings from the UN and its allies, including its main military and political backer, the United States.
While US President Joe Biden warned that he would stop some US arms deliveries to Israel if it carried out a ground attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained defiant.
“If we have to be alone, we will be. If necessary, we will fight with our nails. But we have much more than nails,” he said in an interview on Thursday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to submit a report to Congress on Friday on Israel’s conduct in Gaza, which falls short of concluding that the country violated the terms of use of US weapons, the outlet reported American Axios.
The UN General Assembly is expected to vote on a resolution on Friday that would grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and call on the UN Security Council to favorably reconsider Palestine’s application for full membership .
