Palestinian children flee Israeli bombings in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, November 6, 2023 (Mohammed ABED / AFP)
The Gaza Strip has become a “graveyard for children,” denounced the UN chief and called for an urgent ceasefire in the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement, a possibility that the Israeli prime minister once again rejected.
“Without the release of our hostages, there will be no ceasefire, no general ceasefire in Gaza,” Benjamin Netanyahu said in a television interview with ABC News, in which he also assured that Israel would assume “overall responsibility for security indefinitely.” Gaza after the war.
Because “if we do not bear this responsibility for security, we will witness the outbreak of Hamas terror,” he added.
Israeli bombings in Palestinian territory, carried out in retaliation for Hamas’ attack on Israeli territory on October 7, killed 10,022 people, mostly civilians, including more than 4,000 children, according to Hamas’ health ministry as of Monday.
The White House announced that President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the “possibility of tactical pauses.”
During a phone call, MM said Biden and Netanyahu “discussed the possibility of tactical pauses to allow civilians to safely leave combat areas, ensure aid reaches civilians in need, and facilitate the possible release of hostages,” according to the White A house.
In Israel, authorities said more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, died on the day of the Hamas attack, the deadliest in Israeli history. The Palestinian Islamist movement has also taken more than 240 hostages to Gaza.
On Sunday evening, the Israeli army announced an intensified bombing campaign for “several days,” while its soldiers have been carrying out a parallel ground operation since October 27.
According to Hamas, at least 292 people were killed in overnight strikes on Sunday.
“It was like a million earthquakes together… We had no warning, nothing, and suddenly we were surprised by rockets that were continuously hitting our heads,” said Saad Abu Sariya after the bombings in Rafah (south).
For the head of the Palestinian Red Crescent, Younis Al-Khatib, “what Gaza is experiencing is a disgrace for the international community.” “We witness crimes against humanity every day. Thousands and thousands of civilians are being killed (…) Our men were killed. Our volunteers were killed. Hospitals were attacked. Hospitals were bombed,” he denounced.
Flares and explosions in the night sky over Gaza City (/AFP)
Since October 7, 83 people have been killed on the Lebanese side, including at least 11 civilians, according to an AFP count. Hezbollah reported the deaths of 61 of its fighters. On the Israeli side, six soldiers and two civilians were killed.
In Yemen, pro-Iranian Houthi rebels claimed to have carried out a new drone strike against Israel, which was not immediately confirmed.
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