Israel intensified airstrikes in central and southern Gaza on Wednesday despite the Jewish state’s promise to reduce the war in the so-called “safe” section after securing victory in the north.
The Israel Defense Forces eliminated Hamas bases in central Gaza and at the same time secured the regions around Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza, as fighting continues after more than three months of war.
Israel had vowed to reduce its presence in Gaza after decimating northern Hamas forces.
Instead, constant airstrikes have hampered humanitarian efforts to deliver food and medicine to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians sheltering in the south.
The World Health Organization announced Wednesday that it had canceled its latest medical mission in Gaza due to security concerns.
It was the sixth cancellation in the last two weeks.
Plumes of smoke rise over Khan Younis on Wednesday following the latest series of Israeli airstrikes. Habboub Ramez/ABACA/Shutterstock IDF forces inspected a school building in southern Gaza as battles continued to intensify after more than three months of war. Xinhua/Shutterstock
“Intense shelling, movement restrictions, fuel shortages and disrupted communications make it impossible for WHO and our partners to reach those in need,” Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference.
The decision to reject the aid mission came as the Palestinian Red Crescent revealed that four of its doctors were killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza.
A video of the Red Crescent medical team breaking down in tears over the death of their colleagues has been uploaded to social media and has sparked criticism of the IDF’s airstrike campaign.
A Palestinian doctor collapses after four colleagues were killed in an airstrike on Wednesday. REUTERS A Palestinian baby walks past her relatives who died in an airstrike. REUTERS
Israeli officials have previously dismissed concerns from humanitarian groups about the impact of the airstrikes on aid efforts in Gaza. The IDF has yet to respond to allegations that it beat Red Crescent staff.
Gaza hospitals also remain overwhelmed by the number of civilians injured by airstrikes. Save the Children, an international aid group, revealed Sunday that more than 10 children on average have lost one or both legs since the war began.
So far, more than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict and nearly 60,000 more have been wounded, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between terrorists and civilians.
After decimating Hamas forces in northern Gaza, the IDF said it would repeat the process in the south. AFP via Getty Images
Israel has said it will not suspend the war effort in Gaza until all of Hamas is destroyed, and officials have recently claimed that the terrorist group no longer has the same hold on power over the Palestinian enclave that it had before October 7.
“Today, there is no effective Hamas government in much of the Gaza Strip,” Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli war cabinet, said at a news conference.
“If any of the abductees are watching us now, it is important for you to know: we are doing everything we can to get you back to your loved ones who never stop fighting for you,” Gantz added.
Flares lit up the sky over Rafah on Wednesday as the war entered its 96th day. AFP via Getty Images
His remarks came hours before a war cabinet meeting where officials were expected to mull the latest hostage negotiation proposal put forward by Qatar’s allies.
The deal reportedly calls for the release of the more than 130 hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for the permanent departure of both Israel and Hamas from the Palestinian enclave.
Despite Hamas’s earlier statement that it would not release its hostages until Israel releases all Palestinians it holds in its prison system, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the terrorist group will participate in the renewed talks.
“We’ve already managed, in the midst of this conflict, to get over a hundred hostages out, and I think they can and they will, and that’s something we’re intensely focused on with Qatar and Egypt,” Blinken said. in an NBC interview broadcast Wednesday.
Palestinians search for survivors after an airstrike in Dair El-Balah. ZUMAPRESS.com
The top American diplomat has made his fourth tour of the region since the war began, focusing on promoting the hostage deal and preventing the war from spreading as conflicts with Iran-backed terrorist groups break out in both Lebanon and in the Red Sea.
Blinken warned there would be “consequences” against the Houthi terrorist group, which has continued to coordinate terrorist attacks in the Red Sea in support of Hamas.
The terrorist launched his largest attack to date on Tuesday, prompting three US Navy destroyers to destroy 21 missiles and drones that were deployed against ships in the area.
No injuries or damage were reported, according to US Central Command, which said it was the 26th attack by Iran-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea since Nov. 19.
With post cables
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Source: vtt.edu.vn