As Israel continues its airstrikes on Gaza, the United Nations has warned that the besieged Palestinian territory has become a “place of death unfit for habitation.”
Reporters from Agence France-Presse (AFP) have stated that Israeli airstrikes targeted the city of Rafah in the southern part of Gaza on Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge there in recent weeks, attempting to escape the ongoing conflict.
In northern Gaza, where the Israeli army launched its ground operation at the end of October, shelling continues. A resident of Jabalia (north) told AFP on Friday after an Israeli airstrike, “The entire neighborhood is destroyed, and I don’t know where people will go. Where will we live?”
The United Nations’ Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, warned that the besieged Palestinian territory has become “simply unfit for habitation.” In a statement, he said, “After three months of horrific attacks since October 7th, Gaza is a place of death and despair,” and “its people face daily threats in plain sight of the world.”
Griffiths added, “It is time for all parties to uphold their obligations under international law, including protecting civilians, meeting their basic needs, and releasing all hostages.”
According to UNICEF, the ongoing conflict, combined with malnutrition and poor health conditions, has pushed over 1.1 million children in Gaza toward “a cycle of death.”
Israel pledged to “eliminate” Hamas after the unprecedented attack by the group on southern Israel on October 7th. The attack resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,140 people, the majority of whom were civilians, according to a tally by AFP based on Israeli official numbers. Around 250 people were taken hostage, with 132 of them still held in the territory.
Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, coupled with a ground invasion starting on October 27th, have led to the deaths of around 22,600 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is affiliated with Hamas.
Fears of an expanding conflict have grown. Deputy Head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed by a strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Tuesday, an attack blamed on Israel by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Lebanese authorities.
Another potential issue on the agenda is Gaza’s long-term future. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant presented a plan for the post-war period for the first time on Thursday, in which Hamas would have no role in governing the territory.
According to this plan, neither Hamas nor Israeli civilian administration would be present in the Palestinian territory after the war’s goals are achieved.
Discussions about the “day after” for the Gaza Strip, both in terms of civil and military administration, have been a central topic since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7th. Questions about the shape of the territory’s administration, especially its security aspect, have remained unanswered.
Galant outlined the broad lines of this plan before presenting it to the Security Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He told reporters that under this plan, military operations would continue in Gaza until the “return” of the hostages and the “dismantling” of Hamas’ military and government capabilities, which are still “significant” according to the United States.
IDF spokesman Daniel Haggai warned that “2024 will be the year of combat,” also pointing out the “very high level of preparedness” of the forces on the border with Lebanon, where daily exchanges of fire with Hezbollah have taken place since October 8th.
Concerns about the conflict’s expansion have grown. Saleh al-Arouri, Deputy Head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, was killed by a strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Tuesday, an attack blamed on Israel by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Lebanese authorities.
Another potential issue on the agenda is Gaza’s long-term future.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant presented a plan for the post-war period for the first time on Thursday, in which Hamas would have no role in governing the territory.
According to this plan, neither Hamas nor Israeli civilian administration would be present in the Palestinian territory after the war’s goals are achieved.
Discussions about the “day after” for the Gaza Strip, both in terms of civil and military administration, have been a central topic since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7th. Questions about the shape of the territory’s administration, especially its security aspect, have remained unanswered.
Galant outlined the broad lines of this plan before presenting it to the Security Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He told reporters that under this plan, military operations would continue in Gaza until the “return” of the hostages and the “dismantling” of Hamas’ military and government capabilities, which are still “significant” according to the United States.
IDF spokesman Daniel Haggai warned that “2024 will be the year of combat,” also pointing out the “very high level of preparedness” of the forces on the border with Lebanon, where daily exchanges of fire with Hezbollah have taken place since October 8th.
Concerns about the conflict’s expansion have grown. Saleh al-Arouri, Deputy Head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, was killed by a strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Tuesday, an attack blamed on Israel by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Lebanese authorities.
