In view of the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian situation in the closed coastal strip is becoming increasingly catastrophic. Due to the “globally unprecedented” situation, the United Nations warns that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will starve to death. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it. The scale of acute food insecurity is unprecedented in terms of severity, rate of decline and complexity,” said Shaza Moghraby, spokesperson for the World Food Program (WFP).
A UN Security Council resolution to alleviate the humanitarian emergency in the Gaza Strip is still a long time coming. There has been disagreement for days about the wording of such a statement. A vote was postponed several times due to a threatened American veto.
A new study by several UN agencies and other institutions concluded Thursday that 577,000 people in the closed coastal strip are in the worst category of hunger. However, in the rest of the world combined, there are currently 129,000 people who are at a similar risk, according to the analysis. The people at risk of ‘catastrophic’ hunger are over a quarter of the more than two million people in the area. Nearly all residents are affected by hunger or displacement.
The Gaza war was sparked by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, which Hamas terrorists and other extremist groups carried out in Israel on October 7. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and launched a ground offensive in late October. Given the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the closed coastal area, Israel has recently come under increasing international pressure. According to the Islamist Hamas, at least 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.
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The vote on the Gaza resolution has been postponed again
After days of fighting in the UN Security Council for a resolution to ease humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip, a vote was postponed again. Several countries should consult with their governments after fundamental changes were made to a compromise draft, it was said on Thursday. The text, available to the German Press Agency, calls on Israel to “immediately enable safe and unhindered humanitarian access” to the Gaza Strip. The conditions must also be created for a lasting cessation of violence.
Rocket fire continues to come from the Gaza Strip
Despite Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which have been heavily criticized internationally for civilian casualties, Hamas is still firing rockets. On Thursday, dull explosions were heard in the metropolis of Tel Aviv. The armed wing of the Islamist Hamas organization, the Qassam Brigades, spoke in a statement about a “response to the Zionist massacres of civilians” in the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli media, the continued shelling is also due to the large number of bombing sites in the Gaza Strip. According to estimates by the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Hamas’s rocket arsenal included approximately 20,000 projectiles. According to Israeli figures, about 12,500 rockets have been fired at the Jewish state since the start of the war.
Israel against the administration of Gaza by the current Palestinian Authority
Israel rejects the Palestinian Authority’s administration of the Gaza Strip after the end of the West Bank war. Everyone wants this, but it is impossible as long as the Authority incites people to hate Israelis and teaches children to kill Israelis, a senior Israeli government official said. The US, on the other hand, sees the autonomous authority of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, which in contrast to the Islamist Hamas, is more moderate, in a central role for the post-war period. However, Abbas, who has been in power for eighteen years, is deeply unpopular among Palestinians. Hamas, on the other hand, has become increasingly popular in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war.
The Israeli army claims control of Hamas stronghold Shejaiya
Israeli forces say they have established “operational control” over the Gaza district of Shejaiya, which is considered a Hamas stronghold. “Troops will continue to conduct limited operations in the area to destroy remaining Hamas infrastructure and kill hiding fighters,” the army said in a statement. Until recently, Shejaiya in the north of the coastal strip was the scene of heavy fighting between Israeli soldiers and terrorists from the Islamist Hamas. At the end of last week, the army there accidentally shot three Israeli hostages who had escaped from their captors.
What will be important on Friday?
After difficult negotiations, the compromise proposal for a Gaza resolution could now be voted on in the UN Security Council on Friday. Council members recently reached a compromise on the controversial question of how to monitor aid supplies: a newly appointed UN coordinator should monitor international aid shipments. After negotiators made major concessions, the US ambassador to the UN announced that she would refrain from a veto in a vote. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
