DaysofPal- Despite a US-mediated ceasefire that took effect earlier this month, Israeli attacks continued on Friday. Local medical sources reported that two people were killed in shelling east of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
Israel has also kept the Rafah crossing with Egypt sealed, preventing large-scale deliveries of food, fuel, and medicine that were guaranteed under the truce deal.
Rubio said Washington is exploring the creation of an international security force to monitor the ceasefire, adding that its composition must be approved by Israel, which opposes the inclusion of Türkiye.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed that discussions are ongoing, stating that the “modalities” of the task force are still being negotiated. “We are ready to provide Gaza with any form of support,” he said.
Indonesia has expressed readiness to send troops, while the United Arab Emirates, which normalized ties with Israel in 2020, is already participating in ceasefire monitoring efforts.
While the US rejects Hamas’s participation in any future governance of Gaza, Palestinian factions meeting in Cairo on Friday agreed to establish a temporary independent technocratic committee to manage the Strip’s affairs in cooperation with Arab and international institutions.
Hamas official Husam Badran said all factions have reached a “unified vision” to ensure governance serves the “interests of the Palestinian people.”
The civil defense of Gaza issued a warning, stating that the situation on the ground is still disastrous. Spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said bodies are still trapped under rubble, roads remain impassable, and reconstruction is virtually nonexistent.
Some displaced families have begun returning north, only to find “skeletons of buildings” and no access to water, food, or electricity. “People walk for hours, even days, in search of flour or canned food,” a local source said. “It is a daily struggle for survival.”
UN officials have urged Israel to allow the entry of at least 600 aid trucks per day, the minimum required to meet Gaza’s basic needs, a level never reached since the ceasefire began.
“The situation remains catastrophic because what’s entering is not enough,” warned WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Hamas said on Friday that it had received “clear guarantees” from mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye that “the war has effectively ended,” but called for stronger international pressure on Israel to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid.
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