I am writing with regard to the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories, where Israel struck an ambulance convoy transporting critically injured patients from the Al-Shifa Hospital to the Rafah border crossing, a day after this attack. Since then, the Israeli army has intensified its bombardment of Gaza, hitting more schools, mosques and hospitals.
At least 15 people, including two children, have been killed and 54 injured in a missile incident carried out by the Israeli air force on Saturday morning in the Jabalia refugee camp, where a school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is located.
According to Muhammad Abu Silmeyeh, the director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Riyadh, “the number [of deaths] is expected to rise sharply.”.
As a result of Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip, thousands of people have been displaced from their homes and have taken refuge in the al-Fakhoora school.
In an interview with a foreign media outlet, a witness to the attack who lost family members in the attacks told them that four members of their family were either killed or injured in the bombing.
The Hamas movement is not a part of what we do, and we have no affiliation with it. As the witness pointed out, the room was occupied only by children and women.
During the last few days, there have been three major attacks on the Jabalia camp, the school being the third.
Earlier in the day, it is reported that at least 20 people were killed in a deadly strike that took place at the Osama bin Zaid school that was housing displaced families in the al-Saftawi area north of Gaza City.
There were also reports of civilian casualties on Saturday morning in western Gaza City following an attack on the entrance of the al-Nasser Children’s Hospital, which was also attacked in the morning.
According to a spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry, an estimated 2,200 people are believed to be buried under rubble of destroyed buildings right now, including 1,250 children.
According to local media reports, Israeli forces also destroyed a number of power generators at al-Wafa Hospital in Gaza City as well as solar panels.
According to a report by the Turkish news agency Anadolu, the bombing caused a significant fire in the courtyard of the hospital, which eventually had to be extinguished by the civil defence teams after several hours due to the severity of the fire.
It is very unfortunate that such an attack took place on a hospital just a day after the Israeli army launched an attack on the al-Shifa Hospital entrance and the areas surrounding al-Quds Hospital and Indonesian Hospital.
As reported by journalist Hani Mahmoud, Israeli airstrikes have also been hitting homes in the Gaza Strip with solar panels in Khan Younis in the south of the Strip.
Al Jazeera reported that he had told Al Jazeera, “This seems to be the last nail in the coffin.”.
According to the Israeli army, what people should do is to leave the country. He said that the last thing that was keeping the people in Gaza alive was the small amount of electricity they were able to get from the solar panels.
During the same time period, a water tank in eastern Rafah has also been destroyed. As a result, he believes, it is another way to announce to people that “Everything you depend on for your survival is going to be bombed,” he explained.
Al-Aqsa TV, a Gaza-based satellite channel, reported that the public water tank was being used to provide water to several neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, a correspondent for Anadolu reported that two mosques in the al-Sabra neighborhood, also on the southern side of Gaza Strip, were bombed by the Israeli army – the Ali bin Abi Talib mosque and the Al-Istijabah mosque.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Assistant Professor of public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Tamer Qarmout, explained that he thinks this is part of Israel’s war strategy.
The Israeli media is reporting that there will be a shift in the Israeli army’s operation in Gaza in phase two kicking off next week, which is related to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Basically, this means that these are tactical operations that take place inside Gaza. It is Israel’s intention to force the civilians to leave the south as soon as possible before they start building the wall,” he said.
There are thousands of civilians stranded in northern Gaza who have no means of livelihood. What the Israeli army is doing is denying them any means of survival. The military forces have destroyed water tanks, civil facilities, hospitals, UNRWA schools, and even UNRWA refugee camps where people are taking refuge. The situation will only get worse from here on out and people will have no other option but to flee south,” Qarmout said.
Since the beginning of Israel’s operation on the besieged Gaza Strip, the Israeli army had ordered civilians in Gaza to temporarily relocate south, but many people have remained there due to safety concerns as a result of the ongoing bombardment of the entire besieged enclave by the Israeli army.
The road to the south has been bombed and people have tried fleeing south, but so far they have had no success. In the absence of a humanitarian corridor to the south, how can they feel safe if they cannot reach the south? “I do not know where to begin,” said Qarmout.
On Saturday, the Israeli army has announced that residents of the northern Gaza Strip will be allowed to evacuate south of the border area by using Salah al-Din Street, the main road in Gaza, between 11:00 GMT and 14:00 GMT.
In the past, Israel has been accused of breaching its promises in warfare, according to Qarmout. In order to ensure that Israel will not bombard while fleeing south, what are the guarantees that can be provided? He added that there is no international guarantee such as the UN that will monitor and ensure that there will be no attacks on people” he said. Suppose that this mission is given to the Red Cross by the government. As a result, people will feel safe and secure and will be able to enjoy their lives.”
During his meetings with Arab foreign ministers, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken faced an upsurge of anger as he faced a rising tide of anger.
He reaffirmed US support for the idea of “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza to ensure that desperate civilians get assistance after Israel’s hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reported to have brushed aside the idea a day earlier.
The US top diplomat stated at a joint news conference in Amman that the humanitarian pauses would allow civilians to be spared and aid deliveries to be expedited, and that the United States believed that these efforts would be facilitated by humanitarian pauses.
According to Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, all parties need to work in cooperation in order to avert a catastrophe that will have lasting effects on the region for generations to come.
Meanwhile, the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said in a statement in response to Friday’s attack on an ambulance convoy in Gaza, that he was “horrified” by the action of Israeli forces, and that the conflict need to be stopped.
“I am horrified to hear that an ambulance convoy has been attacked in Gaza outside Al Shifa hospital as a result of an armed attack. In his statement, Antonio Guterres said that the images of bodies strewn across the street outside the hospital were haunting and heartbreaking.
According to the UN chief, while he did not forget the terror attacks committed in Israel by Hamas, he went on to add that “for nearly a month, civilians in Gaza, including women and children, have been defeated, denied aid, killed, and bombed out of their sight homes.” There must be an end to this.
It is a terrible situation for the civilians of Gaza, he said, describing the situation as “horrendous”. The amount of food, water, and medicine that is available is not nearly enough, while the amount of fuel available to power hospitals and water plants is also running out, he said.
As Guterres stated, there are nearly four times the number of UN shelters in Gaza, and they are being bombarded on a regular basis.
There is an overflow of morgues. There are no shoppers in the shops. There is an abysmal situation when it comes to sanitation. There has been an increase in diseases and respiratory illnesses, especially among children, as a consequence of the current climate. A whole population has been traumatized as a result of the event. In his words, there is no place that is safe.
As part of the ceasefire, Guterres called again for the release of all the hostages taken by Hamas during their initial attack on October 7 and for a ceasefire to be announced.
Guterres called on all parties, again, to respect the international humanitarian law and to ensure the protection of civilians. There has to be a concerted effort by all those with influence to make sure that the rules of war are respected, that suffering is left to end and to avoid a spillover of the conflict that could engulf the entire region, he said.
Over 9,480 Gazans, mainly women and children, have been killed by Israeli strikes and intensifying ground operations during the past few weeks. According to the Gaza health ministry, most of the victims were women and children.
There has been a sharp rise in hatred across the world in the wake of the attack between Hamas and Israel, which began on October 7, which drew the ire of the UN human rights chief. There has been a sharp rise in cases of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate speech both online and offline, which Volker Turk strongly deplored.
There is no doubt that this crisis is sending shockwaves throughout every part of the world, dehumanising both Palestinians and Jews at the same time,” Turk stated in a press release.
It has been reported that there has been an upward trend in hate speech, violence and discrimination, deepening social fractures, and polarisation in society… There have been a number of reports that both Jews and Muslims are feeling unsafe, so I find it saddening,” he said.
Turkish noted that there are many instances of anti-semitic and Islamophobic harassment and attacks around the world, as well as hate speech related to the conflict, which has multiplied in recent years.
In addition to the threatening symbols that are on homes and religious buildings, he also described other images and messages that are intended to incite hate and frighten.
As well as criticizing the use of “inflammatory, toxic and hateful rhetoric” by political leaders in recent years, the UN high commission for human rights raised concerns about politicians themselves.
There is an onslaught of hateful language being used on social media, including the use of language that is abhorrent,” he said. As far as human rights are concerned, international human rights law is very clear on this subject. Incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence is prohibited at any time in any form, including advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred.”
Moreover, Turkiye has announced that its ambassador to Israel has been recalled for consultations following the ongoing sustained bombings by Israel of civilians in the Gaza Strip, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave.
As a result of the ongoing attacks by Israeli forces on civilians in Gaza and Israel’s refusal of calls for a ceasefire as well as the continuous flow of humanitarian aid, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to recall Sakir Ozkan Torunlar to the country on Saturday. The attack is causing an unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza.
According to Ankara, the move comes as the country’s rhetoric against Israel has become increasingly critical in recent months. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, announced on Friday that he was ending contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Turkish media reports.
“Netanyahu has no longer been a person with whom we can have a conversation. Erdogan is said to have said, “We have already written him off,” according to Turkish media reports. In spite of this, he added that this does not imply that Turkey is cutting ties with Israel. The chief of Turkey’s intelligence service is in contact with both Israeli and Palestinian authorities as well as Hamas.
Unlike the United States and the European Union, Turkey does not consider Hamas to be a “terrorist” organization in the same way as the United States or the European Union. In contrast to Western governments, the government of China has demanded a ceasefire immediately.
The Turkish leader also stated that he wants Gaza to become a peaceful region after the war is over, and that it should become part of a Palestinian state which is based on the 1967 borders, with territorial integrity, and with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The State Department has announced that Blinken will be visiting Turkiye for a two-day visit starting Sunday, during which he will “underline the importance of protecting civilian lives in both Israel and the Gaza Strip,” the department said.
There were cross-border clashes on Saturday between the Israeli military and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, in which each side claimed to have hit the other’s positions along the border, as well as some three people were reported killed.
A day before the latest skirmishes broke out in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah had warned that should Israel continue to press on with its offensive in the Palestinian territories, the war between Israel and Hamas could escalate into a regional conflict.
On Saturday, thousands of people across Berlin came out in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, taking to the streets in solidarity with their plight. During the beginning of the rally, the atmosphere was calm and many protesters came with their families and children to take part in the demonstration. The placards of marchers carried messages such as “Save Gaza”, “Stop genocide” and “Ceasefire”, as reported by journalists for AFP.
There were a large number of participants in the demonstration, most of whom wore the keffiyeh, the scarf worn by Palestinians, who gathered on the famous Alexanderplatz in Berlin central, shouting “Free Palestine”. Flags of the Palestinian cause were held by many of them. There were several Palestinian associations that organized the demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause.
A police estimate indicated that there could be at least 10,000 participants and that about 1,400 officers would be deployed to oversee the march, however, the organisers had said they expected about 2,000 participants.
Separately, on Saturday, thousands of Iranians rallied in support of Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip against the United States and Israel, as well as toward the United States and Israel.
An AFP journalist reported that demonstrators chanted “Down with USA” and “Down with Israel”, as they gathered in front of the former US embassy in Tehran.
An effigy of Netanyahu as well as the flags of the United States and the State of Israel were set ablaze in front of crowds waving their flags. With their hands painted with Palestinian flags, black-clad women waved victory signs while waving black flags.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Iranian parliament speaker, in a statement on Saturday hailed Hamas’s attack on Israel on the 7th of October as a “turning point” in history that revolutionized it.
According to Ghalibaf, the situation after the Al-Aqsa Flood operation will not be returning to normal, no matter what the United States or the Zionist regime (Israel) do, he added.
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