On Monday, as it continued its harsh campaign of retaliation against Hamas in the beleaguered Palestinian enclave of Gaza, Israel came under increasing international pressure over the increasing number of civilian casualties and the devastation of hospitals in the region.
On Monday, the UN Security Council was supposed to discuss and vote on a fresh resolution demanding a “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities” in Gaza.
Over 19,000 individuals, primarily children and women, have lost their lives in Israel’s offensive in Gaza, according to the Gaza health ministry. Israeli strikes on Sunday reportedly killed scores.
People in Gaza are dealing with gasoline, food, water, and medicine shortages as a result of months of intense bombardment and fighting, which has also forced majority of the population to flee their homes.
On Sunday, the World Health Organization condemned the impact of Israeli strikes on two hospitals in the northern portion of the enclave, while the United Nations reported that less than a third of Gaza’s hospitals are partially operational.
According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, the organization was “appalled by the effective destruction” of the Kamal Adwan hospital, which was targeted during an Israeli operation against Hamas that lasted several days.
Crying, Abu Mohammed waited outside the hospital courtyard, where tracks of tanks and bulldozers could be seen. He had come to look for his son.
He pointed to the wreckage and remarked, “I don’t know how I will find him.” Reportedly, footage on social media and eyewitness accounts both show Israeli bulldozers stomping on wounded people in the hospital courtyard.
Israeli forces withdrew from the hospital on Sunday following a multi-day operation, asserting that it had served as a command and control center for Hamas.
Israel asserted that it had secured the safe departure of the majority of hospital patients before entering the facility.
The World Health Organization added that the Al-Shifa hospital’s emergency room had become “a bloodbath” due to the Israeli bombings.
According to the Gaza health ministry, one person was killed and seven people were injured in an Israeli strike that occurred on Sunday and damaged Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, the biggest city in southern Gaza.
Several days of bombardment and siege have left medical personnel in northern Gaza’s Al Awda hospital detained, according to the ministry. The invasion occurred on Sunday.
Reuters was informed by a spokesman for the Gaza health ministry that 90 Palestinians were killed on Sunday in Israeli strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. Tragically, 24 lives were lost in yet another rocket attack on a residence owned by the Shehab family, according to Hamas Aqsa radio.
A representative from Islamic Jihad confirmed to Reuters that one of the victims was the son of Dawoud Shehab, a spokesman for Hamas’s affiliate.
According to a medic, the Shehab family home and adjacent structures had scores of casualties.
“We believe the number of dead people under the rubble is huge but there is no way to remove the rubble and recover them because of the intensity of Israeli fire,” he stated over phone.
At Sunday’s cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to “fight until the end” in order to fulfill the goals of dismantling Hamas, releasing all prisoners, and preventing Gaza from ever being “a centre for terrorism” again.
The largest tunnel dug by Hamas to date was allegedly discovered by the Israeli army close to the northern border crossing between Gaza and the Israeli city of Erez.
The tunnel, which included a communications network, drainage, electricity, and railroads, reportedly took years to build and cost millions of dollars, according to Israel.
With Sunday’s casualties, the Israeli army has reported 126 casualties in the Gaza Strip since combat operations started in late October.
There has been mounting pressure on the Israeli government to end hostilities and take more measures to safeguard civilians from harm.
According to the UN, 1.9 million people, or around 80% of Gaza’s population, have been forced to leave their homes as a result of the conflict.
According to Philippe Lazzarini, president of the United Nations organization for Palestinian refugees, “I would not be surprised if people start dying of hunger, or a combination of hunger, disease, weak immunity.”
Even though Gazans have experienced many communications disruptions, the main telecoms company in Gaza announced on Sunday that mobile and internet connectivity had been progressively restored.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna urged for a ceasefire that would be “immediate and durable” while visiting Israel on Sunday.
An Israeli bombardment in Gaza killed one of France’s foreign ministry officials, and France has separately denounced the attack.
“Ongoing diplomatic efforts to renew the humanitarian pause” were announced by Qatar, which played a role in mediating last month’s truce that resulted in the exchange of 80 Israeli hostages for 240 Palestinians in prison.
“Until the aggression against our people ceases completely,” Hamas stated on Telegram, rejecting any discussions over the exchange of detainees.
On Monday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Kuwait as part of his regional tour that would also take him to Israel and Qatar, the latter of which was instrumental in mediating an earlier ceasefire.
Family members of Israeli detainees have also urged the government to halt or significantly reduce the pace of its military campaign.
After the army admitted to accidentally executing three captives in Gaza, relatives once again gathered in Tel Aviv to demand a deal to return the remaining 129 captives home, according to Israel.
The violence in the West Bank, which is occupied by Israel, has also escalated due to the fighting in Gaza.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, five Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers in a refugee camp in the West Bank on Sunday morning. The Israeli military claimed that fighters who had threatened Israeli soldiers were the targets of airstrikes.
Since the conflict broke out, more than 290 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers, according to health officials.
As time went on, concerns mounted that the crisis in Gaza may spread to other parts of the region. On Sunday, two Syrian soldiers were wounded in airstrikes near Damascus, according to the Syrian defense ministry.
Fire is constantly flying across the border between Israel and Lebanon in the north, between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants.
The Houthi rebels of Yemen have attacked passing ships in the strategically important Red Sea commerce zone, with the stated goal of putting pressure on Israel. As a result, major shipping corporations have had to reroute their vessels.
