After one of the worst days for Palestinians since the conflict began, Israel’s military escalated its bombing of southern Gaza overnight, despite international calls for a ceasefire to enable aid into the besieged enclave.
On Wednesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that the dead toll from Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip had reached 6,546.
At a news conference in Gaza City, Ministry Spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said, “The fatalities included 2,704 children, 1,584 women, and 364 elders.”
He reported that 17,439 people were hurt during the attacks and that 1,600 individuals, including 900 children, were still missing.
According to the statement, Israeli attacks resulted in the deaths of 73 medical personnel and the destruction of 25 ambulances.
When asked about the state of Gaza’s medical facilities, al-Qudra responded, “Gaza’s healthcare system went out of service” due to constant attacks and severe shortages.
Israel claims its jets attacked Syrian army facilities and mortar launchers in retaliation for missile fire from Iran’s ally Syria, raising fears of a wider Middle Eastern clash.
The military has been silent on the matter. It did not say that the Syrian military was responsible for firing the two rockets that triggered air raid sirens in Israeli-controlled territory in the Golan Heights.
Syrian national news agency (SANA) cited a military source in reporting that 8 Syrian troops were killed and 7 others were injured in a “aerial aggression” by Israel in the city of Deraa in the country’s southwest.
U.S. and Russian leaders are at the forefront of international efforts for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Over the phone on Tuesday, Vice President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed strengthening diplomatic efforts “to maintain stability across the region and prevent the conflict from expanding,” as stated by the White House.
More Israeli soldiers and Palestinian civilians have been killed in the occupied West Bank, and fighting has flared up again between Israel and Hezbollah at the border between Israel and Lebanon.
Iran, which has backed Hezbollah and Hamas for years in its quest for regional dominance, has advised Israel to stop its assault on Gaza.
After allegedly being fired upon by a group of Palestinians during a nighttime raid in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces allegedly dispatched a drone to eliminate the threat. Three people were killed, according to Palestinian officials.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reports that since October 7 more than 100 Palestinians have been murdered in clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank.
Near Kibbutz Zikim, the Israeli military said it struck a group of Hamas divers who were trying to swim into Israeli territory. Hamas did not immediately issue a statement regarding the incident.
The United States has urged Israel to delay its ground offensive into Gaza while it works to secure the release of the remaining 200 or so hostages being held by Hamas.
When reporters questioned Vice President Joe Biden if he was trying to get Israel to hold off on a ground invasion, he said, “The Israelis are making their own decisions.”
The United States and Russia have submitted competing plans.
In the late hours of Tuesday, Egypt allowed eight trucks carrying food, water, and medicine into Gaza. More than 20 times the present deliveries are needed to sustain the 2.3 million people living in the coastal strip, according to UN agencies.
The United States and Russia presented competing proposals for humanitarian help to Palestinian citizens at the United Nations. Both the United States and Russia have asked for temporary halts to hostilities for humanitarian reasons. In comparison to a ceasefire, a pause is typically seen as less official and shorter in duration.
Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council, “The whole world is expecting from the Security Council a call for a swift and unconditional ceasefire.” In light of the enormous destruction in Gaza, the Arab states have voiced their support for a request for a humanitarian ceasefire.
Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres also demanded a humanitarian truce in Gaza last week.
“While we remain opposed to a ceasefire, we think humanitarian pauses linked to the delivery of aid that still allow Israel to conduct military operations to defend itself are worth consideration,” said a high-ranking US official.
Fuel shortages at hospitals
In Gaza, where over 1.4 million people have sought refuge in makeshift buildings, doctors report an increase in patients showing symptoms of sickness due to overcrowding and inadequate sanitation.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that nearly two-thirds of primary healthcare clinics in Gaza were closed owing to damage or shortage of fuel, while more than one-third of hospitals had closed.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced on messaging app X Wednesday night that it would cease operations in Gaza due to a lack of fuel.
On Tuesday, however, the Israeli military reiterated that it would prohibit gasoline from entering the territory so that Hamas could not seize control of it.
Three diplomats and a regional source familiar with the talks said that Qatari mediators had urged Hamas to accelerate the release of captives, including women and children, without demanding Israeli concessions.
The Gulf state is acting as mediator between Hamas and Israel to secure the release of the hostages, with the United States providing support.
A mother and daughter with joint U.S.-Israeli citizenship were released by Hamas on Friday, and two Israeli civilian women were freed on Monday.
