The conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas enters its sixth day with a humanitarian disaster looming in Gaza amid continued air strikes by Israel as the US engages in talks for a safe passage for Gazans.
Humanitarian situation
GAZA CITY – The number of displaced people in Gaza has exceeded 338,000, says the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
- Hospitals in Gaza have run out of beds, say Palestinian authorities.
- Thousands in need of medical and healthcare services, says Gaza Health Ministry.
- Complete electricity outage in the Gaza Strip, says Palestinian Energy Authority.
- The Gaza Strip’s sole power plant is out of service due to lack of fuel.
The fighting
GAZA CITY – At least seven Palestinians have been killed and several wounded early Thursday in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
JENIN – The Israeli army raided on Thursday the city of Jenin in the north of the occupied West Bank.
WASHINGTON – A second US aircraft carrier is heading to the Mediterranean for a “long-scheduled deployment,” the White House said.
GAZA CITY – The Palestinian group Hamas released a captured Israeli woman and her two children.
- Hamas says Operation Al-Aqsa Flood is ‘defensive’ as it denies slaughtering Israeli civilians.
- JERUSALEM – The sound of air-raid sirens from southern Lebanon was a “false alarm,” says Israel.
Conflict in numbers
- GAZA CITY- The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks has climbed to around 1,200, with nearly 5,000 wounded, says Palestinian Health Ministry.
- At least 11 UN staff and personnel and 30 students at UN schools have been killed in the Gaza Strip due to Israeli airstrikes.
- JERUSALEM – At least 1,300 Israelis have been killed in the Hamas attack, say Israeli authorities.
- Israel’s Health Ministry announced Wednesday that 3,268 wounded Israelis have been treated in hospitals since conflict began.
- At least 220 Israeli soldiers have been killed, says army.
- GENEVA – The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) confirmed that five staffers have been killed in armed hostilities in Israel and Gaza.
Diplomatic and political front
- The US is in active talks with Israel and Egypt to establish a “safe passage” for civilians in Gaza, says White House.
- Egypt says it is eager to keep the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip open to deliver humanitarian aid to the territory.
- US, UAE presidents discuss Israel-Palestine conflict as Biden condemns Hamas ‘terror.’
- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke over phone on efforts aimed at restoring calm in Gaza.
- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the situation in Palestine in their first phone call since ties resumed.
- Bombing civilian settlements unacceptable, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a phone call.
- NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday said Israel has the “right to defend itself” but added that any response was expected to be “proportionate.”
International reaction
- BRUSSELS – Hundreds of demonstrators gathered Tuesday in the heart of Brussels, the capital of Belgium, in a powerful show of support for Palestine.
- The crowd carried Palestinian flags and chanted: “Freedom for Palestine.”
