US vetoes UN ceasefire bid as Israel continues Gaza assault

GAZA:

Israel pressed its invasion of the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza on Saturday after america blocked a unprecedented UN bid to name for a ceasefire within the two-month battle.

Hamas and the Palestinian Authority swiftly condemned the US veto because the Palestinian well being ministry put the newest demise toll in Gaza at 17,487 folks, largely ladies and youngsters.

An Israeli strike on the southern metropolis of Khan Yunis killed six folks, whereas 5 others died in a separate assault in Rafah, the ministry mentioned Saturday.

Huge areas of Gaza have been decreased to rubble and the UN says about 80 % of the inhabitants has been displaced, with dire shortages of meals, gasoline, water and medication reported.

“It is so chilly, and the tent is so small. All I’ve are the garments I put on, I nonetheless do not know what the following step will probably be,” mentioned Mahmud Abu Rayan, displaced from Beit Lahia within the north.

A UN Safety Council decision that may have referred to as for an instantaneous ceasefire was vetoed by america on Friday.

US envoy Robert Wooden mentioned the decision was “divorced from actuality” and “would haven’t moved the needle ahead on the bottom”.

Israeli Overseas Minister Eli Cohen mentioned the ceasefire “would stop the collapse of the Hamas terrorist organisation, which is committing battle crimes and crimes in opposition to humanity, and would allow it to proceed ruling the Gaza Strip”.

Hamas slammed on Saturday the US rejection of the ceasefire bid as “a direct participation of the occupation in killing our folks and committing extra massacres and ethnic cleaning”.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh mentioned it was “a shame and one other clean cheque given to the occupying state to bloodbath, destroy and displace”.

Wounded Palestinian kids sit on the ground at Nasser hospital following Israeli strikes. PHOTO: Reuters

The veto was swiftly condemned by humanitarian teams, with Docs With out Borders (MSF) saying the Safety Council was “complicit within the ongoing slaughter”.

Israel’s army mentioned Friday it had struck 450 targets in Gaza over 24 hours, exhibiting footage of strikes from naval vessels within the Mediterranean.

The Palestinian well being ministry reported 40 Palestinians killed close to Gaza Metropolis within the north, and dozens extra in Jabalia and the principle southern metropolis of Khan Yunis.

Following two months of battle and barbaric Israeli bombardment, UN chief Antonio Guterres mentioned Friday “the folks of Gaza are wanting into the abyss”.

“Individuals are determined, fearful and indignant,” he mentioned. “All this takes place amid a spiralling humanitarian nightmare.”

Lots of the 1.9 million Gazans who’ve been displaced by the battle have headed south, turning Rafah close to the Egyptian border into an unlimited camp.

Solely 14 of the 36 hospitals within the Gaza Strip had been functioning in any capability, based on United Nations’ humanitarian company OCHA.

With the civilian toll mounting, US Nationwide Safety Council spokesman John Kirby advised reporters Friday that Washington believes Israel must do extra to guard civilians within the battle.

“We actually all recognise extra might be performed to… scale back civilian casualties. And we’ll maintain working with our Israeli counterparts to that finish,” he mentioned.

The demise toll additionally rose within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, the place Israeli forces shot lifeless six Palestinians on Friday, the territory’s well being ministry mentioned.

Israel claimed Friday it has misplaced 91 troopers in Gaza. The true variety of casualties is probably going increased.

It claimed two others had been wounded in a failed bid to rescue hostages in a single day, and that “quite a few terrorists” had been killed within the operation.

Hamas mentioned a hostage was killed within the botched Israeli rescue operation, and launched a video purporting to indicate the physique, which couldn’t be independently verified.

An assault on the US embassy in Iraq on Friday deepened fears of wider regional battle.

Salvoes of rockets had been launched in opposition to the mission in Baghdad’s closely fortified Inexperienced Zone, including to dozens of current rocket and drone strikes by resistance teams in opposition to American or coalition forces in Iraq and Syria.

Individually, three Hezbollah fighters and a Syrian had been killed on Friday in an Israeli drone strike on their automobile within the south of Syria, a battle monitor mentioned.

WHO members urge Israel to guard humanitarian staff

Greater than a dozen member states of the World Well being Group submitted a draft decision on Friday that urged Israel to respect its obligations below worldwide regulation to guard humanitarian staff in Gaza.

A wounded Palestinian youngster sits on the ground of Nasser hospital following Israeli strikes. PHOTO: Reuters

The textual content of the draft decision is because of be examined on Sunday throughout a particular session of the WHO’s Govt Board convened to debate “the well being scenario within the occupied Palestinian territory”.

It was proposed by Algeria, Bolivia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Palestinian representatives have WHO observer standing, and had been additionally signatories to the proposal.

The member states expressed their “grave concern concerning the catastrophic humanitarian scenario within the occupied Palestinian territory, together with east Jerusalem, particularly the army operations within the Gaza Strip”.

They referred to as for Israel to “respect and shield” medical and humanitarian staff solely concerned in finishing up medical duties, in addition to hospitals and different medical amenities.

Individually, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier advised reporters on Friday that Gaza’s well being system was on its knees and couldn’t afford to lose one other ambulance or a single hospital mattress.

“The scenario is getting increasingly horrible by the day… past perception, actually,” he mentioned.

The United Nations’ humanitarian company OCHA mentioned late on Thursday that solely 14 of the 36 hospitals within the Gaza Strip had been functioning in any capability.