Israel-Hamas war: At least 150 people have been killed in Gaza and 313 others injured in the last 24 hours, according to the Palestinian territory's health ministry as the Israeli military continues to fight militants in the northern part of the enclave. Israel's military on Wednesday said it eliminated over 25 Hamas militants in northern Gaza over the past day and targeted militant infrastructure in a school.
The Israeli offensive continued despite a ruling by the UN's top court ordering Israel to do more to protect civilians and take stringent measures to prevent a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. The latest deaths bring the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s offensive to 26,900, most of them being women and children, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. Three more Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza, taking the total number of troops killed during the offensive to 224.
Israeli forces are still battling militants across Gaza, even in the northern part of the territory, which was the initial target of the ground offensive in late October and where entire neighborhoods have been flattened. It said air and ground forces targeted militants on the outskirts of the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, which dates back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation and resembles a dense urban neighborhood.
The heaviest fighting is in the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israeli officials suspect senior Hamas leaders may be hiding in a labyrinth of tunnels. The war in Gaza has driven 85 per cent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes into other parts of the besieged territory, and UN officials say a quarter of the population is starving.
South Africa’s foreign minister on Wednesday said Israel has ignored the ruling by the UN's top court last week by killing hundreds more civilians in a matter of days in Gaza, adding that her country has asked why an arrest warrant for Netanyahu was not issued in a separate case filed at the International Criminal Court.
"I can’t be dishonest. I believe the rulings of the court have been ignored. Hundreds of people have been killed in the last three or four days. And clearly Israel believes it has license to do as it wishes," said Naledi Pandor.
Netanyahu rejects Hamas deal for ceasefire
The development came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday rejected two key demands from Hamas during indirect talks for a ceasefire, saying that the Israeli military will not withdraw from Gaza and will not release thousands of imprisoned Palestinian militants. Netanyahu asserted that the war would not end until Israel's 'complete victory' over Hamas and the return of all hostages.
"I hear talk about all kinds of deals. I would like to make it clear: We will not conclude this war without achieving all of its goals. This means eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel," said Netanyahu at the Bnei David institutions in Eli. "We will not withdraw the IDF from the Gaza Strip and we will not release thousands of terrorists. None of this will happen. What will happen? Total victory!"
According to several reports, Israel agreed during a meeting in Paris on Sunday with the US, Qatar, and Egypt to a framework that would see all Israeli hostages released, starting with women, children, the elderly and the sick. There would be “phased pauses” in Israel’s war against Hamas while the process played out, The Times of Israel reported.
The framework reportedly does not provide for a permanent ceasefire, but also does not rule one out. US officials were seeing signs of progress in negotiations to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas to release the more than 100 remaining hostages being held in Gaza in exchange for an extended pause in fighting. Qatar’s prime minister on Monday said senior US and Mideast mediators had achieved a framework proposal to present to Hamas for freeing hostages and pausing fighting in Gaza.
A senior Hamas official told Reuters the Gaza ceasefire proposal involved a three-stage truce, during which Hamas would release the remaining civilians among hostages captured on October 7, then soldiers, and finally the bodies of dead hostages.
Netanyahu calls on closure of UNRWA
On Wednesday, the Israeli Prime Minister also called for the closure of the UN Palestinian refugee agency, also known as UNRWA, as investigations continued on the alleged links between members of the agency and Hamas. Israel has accused some UNRWA staff of involvement in the October 7 Hamas assault in southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, leading several countries to pause funding.
"It's time the international community and the UN itself understand that UNRWA's mission has to end," Netanyahu told visiting UN delegates. However, Palestinians accused Israel of falsifying information to tarnish UNRWA, which was set up to help refugees of the war at Israel's founding in 1948 and to which more than half of Gaza's population look for day-to-day assistance.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described UNRWA as "the backbone of all humanitarian response in Gaza" and appealed to all countries to "guarantee the continuity of UNRWA's life-saving work". This came as witnesses said Israel had stepped up air strikes on Gaza City in the north and bombarded parts of Khan Younis in the south.
Several UN organizations that focus on refugees, humanitarian aid, migration, health, children, food, women, human rights and other issues have united in an appeal to some key donor countries to reconsider their plans to halt funding for UNRWA.
(with inputs from agencies)
