New Delhi:
More than 70 family members were killed in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike, including a veteran UN aid worker. Despite growing calls for restraint and more help for war-hit Palestinians, Israel showed little sign of modifying its 11-week-old “Operation Swords of Iron,” aimed at crushing Hamas.
Fighting is now focused on Gaza City and the southern city of Khan Yunis, both considered strongholds of the Palestinian militant group, which carried out bloody raids in Israel on October 7.
Issam al-Mughrabi, 56, was killed along with his wife, five children and dozens of other relatives in a bomb attack near Gaza City, the UN Development Program (UNDP) said in a statement.
“I am deeply saddened to announce today the death of our UNDP colleague and his family in Gaza. The airstrike also reportedly killed more than 70 members of his extended family,” said Achim Steiner, head of the UNDP.
“For almost 30 years, Issam has worked with UNDP as part of our assistance program to the Palestinian people. He will be remembered as a beloved member of the team,” he said.
He also called for an immediate ceasefire as the level of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip is blocking the delivery of urgently needed aid.
“The United Nations and the civilian population in Gaza are not targets. This war must end. No more families should endure the pain and suffering experienced by Issam’s family and countless others,” Mr. Steiner wrote.
The Israeli offensive in Gaza was one of the most devastating military campaigns in modern history, displacing nearly 85% of Gaza's 2.3 million residents and leveling large swaths of the tiny coastal enclave. A report from the United Nations and other organizations said more than half a million people in Gaza – a quarter of the population – are starving this week.
The US regularly supports Israel's right to defend itself, but has become increasingly critical of the suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip amid the rising death toll and humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
US President Joe Biden spoke with Israel's hawkish Prime Minister Netanyahu on Saturday about “the urgent need to protect civilians, including those supporting humanitarian relief operations,” the White House said.