As the Israeli war on Gaza entered its 166th day, violence continued to escalate with Israeli occupation forces launching aggressive assaults on multiple fronts, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.
Deadly Attacks
Explosions rocked the Gaza Strip’s largest hospital and surrounding neighborhoods as Israeli occupation forces stormed through the facility for a second consecutive day on Tuesday.
The assault on al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City resulted in dozens of casualties. The Israeli forces claimed they arrested around 300 individuals during the invasion.
The Israeli military justified its raid on al-Shifa by alleging that Hamas fighters had taken refuge within the hospital premises and were using it as a base to launch attacks.
However, these claims could not be independently verified as international journalists have been barred from reporting from the besieged enclave.
In addition to the assault on al-Shifa Hospital, the Israeli warplanes have been involved in other deadly attacks throughout Gaza.
At least 23 people were killed during an attack on the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City earlier in the week, while another 15 lost their lives in a strike on a house in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Sunday.
International Condemnation
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a looming humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with increasing numbers of children facing acute hunger.
Dr. Margaret Harris, a WHO spokeswoman, stated on Tuesday that many children in Gaza are on the “brink of death” due to severe malnutrition.
Amidst the ongoing violence, the UK’s largest aid delivery to Gaza arrived in the Strip, bringing over 2,000 tonnes of food aid. The aid, facilitated by the British Foreign Office, entered Gaza via Jordan and is expected to provide essential relief to more than 275,000 people, according to officials.
The situation has also sparked diplomatic tensions, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scheduled to address US Senate Republicans during a closed-door conference via video link.
This comes shortly after calls from top Democrat Chuck Schumer for elections to replace Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has expressed determination to continue ‘military operations’ in Gaza, despite international calls for de-escalation.
He agreed to send a team of Israeli officials to Washington to discuss the impending Rafah offensive with the Biden administration but emphasized the necessity of ground incursions to ‘eliminate Hamas battalions’.
In response to the crisis, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant plan to discuss securing the release of Hamas-held captives and providing humanitarian aid to Gaza during their upcoming meeting in Washington, DC.
Furthermore, Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders applauded Canada’s Parliament for voting to halt arms sales to Israel, urging the US to follow suit and refrain from supporting what he referred to as “Netanyahu’s war machine.”
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