While the intense clashes with Hamas continue in the Gaza Strip, Israel is exploring fresh diplomatic avenues to negotiate the release of more hostages. According to Haaretz, Mossad head David Barnea sought counsel from CIA Director William Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Abdulrahman Al Thani during talks in Warsaw. These talks come amidst calls for Israel to exhibit greater sensitivity towards the civilian population during the over two-month-long conflict.
The US President Joe Biden encouraged Israel to display more compassion towards the civilian population amidst the war. Consequently, the World Health Organization expressed its dismay over the destruction of a hospital in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza war, instigated by the most grave massacre in Israel's history committed by Hamas and other extremist groups on Oct. 7, has resulted in the loss of over 1200 lives and the expulsion of over 200 individuals from Israel.
Following a ceasefire towards the end of November, Hamas freed 105 hostages, while Israel released approximately 240 Palestinian prisoners in return. Currently, preliminary estimates suggest that around 110 hostages remain captive in the Gaza Strip. The fate of these hostages remains uncertain as talks to secure a new agreement continue.
Paradoxically, Hamas demands a cessation of hostilities before engaging in negotiations, while Israel intends to apply military pressure to compel the release of all captives. Meanwhile, a German-Israeli woman, after her liberation by Hamas, shared her harrowing ordeal on US television, revealing that she was paraded through the streets of Gaza as a trophy.
At least 110 people lost their lives due to Israeli airstrikes in the north of the Gaza Strip, as per the health authority controlled by Hamas. Several residential buildings in Jabalia, infamously known as a Hamas stronghold, were heavily damaged in the air raids.
The Israeli military underwent intense scrutiny over its use of force in the Gaza Strip, with Hamas accusing Israel of intentionally harming civilians by entwining themselves within the civil population. In response, the Israeli army asserts that it meticulously examines targets to minimize civilian casualties while issuing warnings ahead of the attacks.
The Hamas-led health authority reported a rising death toll in Gaza, with 19,453 Palestinians losing their lives since the onset of the war — an increase of approximately 850 compared to the previous count from last Wednesday. Simultaneously, over 52,286 individuals have sustained injuries, according to their spokesperson, Ashraf al-Kudra.
According to WHO, the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalia was significantly damaged during the conflict. At least eight patients, including a nine-year-old child, are confirmed to have perished as a result of the hospital's destruction. The Israeli mission to the UN accused Tedros of omitting the fact that the hospital in Jabalia housed Hamas operatives and that most patients had vacated the facility prior to the airstrike.
Doctors Without Borders criticized the inadequate publicity of the evacuation orders, leaving countless people oblivious of their own safety with no identifiable safe zones. Lacking access to adequate water supplies, the situation in the Gaza Strip mirrors that of a protracted emergency, threatening the lives of inhabitants equally to Israeli bombings.
Israel accuses Hamas of amassing fuel stockpiles in the Gaza Strip while withholding it from civilians. Simultaneously, Hamas frequently unleashes rockets towards Israel, necessitating an uninterrupted fuel supply. Following the calls for Israel to exhibit more sensitivity towards civilians in the region, US President Joe Biden insisted that the Israeli government prioritize their actions according to international humanitarian law.
A human rights organization, Human Rights Watch, claimed that Israel's government had resorted to starvation as a tool of warfare, imposing a de facto blockade on the supply of essential resources to the Gaza Strip, amounting to a war crime.
After the historical massacre conducted by terrorists from Hamas and other radical groups toward the Israeli population near the Gaza border on Oct. 7, resulting in over 1200 deaths, including 850 civilians, tensions in the Gaza Strip continue to soar.
