Humanitarian aid has once again been dropped into war-torn Gaza as Israel continues its deadly campaign against the Palestinian territory.
A Spanish charity ship carrying food aid was expected to set sail soon from the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus to help alleviate suffering in the Gaza Strip, now in its sixth month of war.
The non-governmental group Open Arms said its boat would carry 200 tons of food, which its partner, the US charity World Central Kitchen, would then unload on the coast of Gaza, where it had built a basic dock.
As famine threatens parts of besieged Gaza, US, Jordanian and other planes have also dropped food aid there, but UN agencies warn this falls far short of the needs of its 2.4 million people.
The war, which began with the October 7 attack on Israel, has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, where large parts have been reduced to a bombed-out wasteland.
Humanitarian aid was airlifted over the Palestinian territory
The war, which began with the October 7 attack on Israel, has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza
Weeks of talks involving US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators have aimed at a six-week ceasefire and the release of many of the 100 or so hostages still held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, without result so far.
The widespread aim had been to stop the fighting at the start of Ramadan, which is expected to begin on Monday depending on the first sighting of the crescent moon.
Both sides have blamed each other for failing to reach a ceasefire agreement so far after Israel demanded a full list of surviving hostages and Hamas called on Israel to withdraw all its troops from Gaza.
Israel’s government accused Hamas of ‘consolidating its positions as someone who is not interested in a deal and strives to inflame the region during Ramadan’.
US President Joe Biden reiterated on Saturday that Israel has the ‘right to continue to pursue Hamas’, but also underlined his growing impatience with Israel’s right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
As the number of civilian deaths has increased, Biden told MSNBC, Netanyahu “needs to pay more attention to the innocent lives that are being lost as a result of the measures that have been taken”.
At this stage, Biden said, Netanyahu’s approach to the war was ‘hurting Israel more than helping Israel’.
Weeks of talks with US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators aimed at a six-week ceasefire and the release of many of the 100 or so hostages Hamas still holds in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails have so far come to nothing
Both sides have blamed each other for failing to reach a ceasefire agreement so far
US President Joe Biden reiterated on Saturday that Israel has the ‘right to continue to pursue Hamas’
The comments came after Israeli protesters again took to the streets of Tel Aviv in growing anti-government rallies, along with the desperate families and friends of some of the remaining prisoners.
Biden also signaled that he would be willing to speak directly to the Israeli people through an address to the Knesset legislative assembly, but without revealing further plans or details.
The war started when Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in around 1,160 deaths, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures.
The militants also took 250 hostages, dozens of whom were released during a week-long ceasefire in November. Israel believes that 99 hostages are still alive and that 31 are dead.
Israel’s withering bombardment and ground offensive have killed 31,045 people, mostly women and children, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Sunday.
It has also said that at least 23 children have died of malnutrition and dehydration.
Inside Gaza, displaced Palestinians queued at a truckload of barely potable water, which they filled in jerry cans and plastic containers.
Biden also signaled that he would be willing to speak directly to the Israeli people through an address to the Knesset legislative assembly
Israel’s withering bombardment and ground offensive have killed 31,045 people, mostly women and children, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Sunday.
Inside Gaza, displaced Palestinians queued at a truckload of barely potable water, which they filled in jerry cans and plastic containers
‘Now, on ordinary days, we can hardly get water, so what about the coming Ramadan?’ said one woman, Nesreen Abu Yussef.
“At the camp, we have sick kids who need sugar and protein, our kids get dizzy,” she said. ‘I swear, for the last five months we haven’t seen a single egg or meat.’
Fighting and bombardment again rocked Gaza, with 81 bodies arriving overnight at barely functioning hospitals, according to the health ministry.
The Israeli military said its troops had killed 13 militants in airstrikes and with tank and sniper fire in central Gaza over the past 24 hours.
Troops were also involved in ‘melee’ in the southern city of Khan Yunis, where strikes had killed 17 militants.
The army has reported 248 of its forces dead in Gaza, where it claims to have killed more than 10,000 militants.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel was preparing for ‘all possible operational scenarios’ during Ramadan.
“Shortly before Ramadan, Hamas prevents an agreement and acts against what was raised by the mediators,” he said.
The Israeli military said its troops had killed 13 militants in airstrikes and with tank and sniper fire in central Gaza over the past 24 hours.
Biden announced last Thursday that the US military would build a temporary pier on the coast of Gaza to facilitate larger aid shipments by sea
The army previously released leaflets with pictures of Hamas leaders enjoying a sumptuous meal and Palestinians with almost empty plates.
A Gaza man, Attallah al-Satel, told AFP: ‘What is the purpose of this leaflet? We want a solution, to stop the war. We are just exhausted citizens.’
Qatar-based Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh called for the rapid distribution of aid and the full opening of border crossings ‘to end the siege of our people’.
Biden announced last Thursday that the US military would build a temporary pier on the coast of Gaza to facilitate larger aid shipments by sea, but the Pentagon warned that this would take about 60 days.
US Central Command said a ship had left Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia on Saturday with the ‘first equipment to establish a temporary pier’ to receive aid off Gaza.
The International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, again called for a ceasefire and for both sides to respect international law and protect civilians.
“It is the line between humanity and barbarism,” she said, adding that the situation was degenerating “by the hour” into a war that had “broken any sense of a shared humanity”.