(Bloomberg) — Israel has committed to persist with military actions in Gaza, while France has joined increasing global appeals for a cessation of hostilities. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the proposal for the return of the Palestinian Authority to govern the region.
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The United Nations reported intensified Israeli ground assaults and shelling around medical facilities in Gaza City and northern Gaza, directly impacting numerous individuals. The World Health Organization lost communication with al-Shifa hospital, a major establishment reportedly encircled by Israeli forces. In response, Israel, alleging the use of hospitals as command centers by Hamas, assured safe passage for those seeking to depart.
Hezbollah declared the use of heavy armaments in confrontations with Israel along the Israel-Lebanon border. Iran also provides support to Gaza’s ruling party Hamas, designated a terrorist association by the US and EU.
For additional coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict, visit here.
(All time stamps are Israeli time)
Escalation of fighting near Gaza medical centers (8:15 am)
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs disclosed that several medical centers in Gaza City and northern Gaza were directly impacted following heightened Israeli military offensives.
It was stated that Indonesia and Shifa hospitals reportedly lost electricity after depleting their fuel supplies. As per OCHA, the health ministry in Ramallah, West Bank, reported that two infants perished after life support was discontinued at Shifa, with 37 infants in incubators at imminent risk of death.
Martin Griffiths, an official at OCHA, asserted, “There can be no justification for conducting acts of war on healthcare facilities, leaving them bereft of electricity, sustenance, or water, and firing upon patients and civilians endeavoring to escape.”
WHO unable to reach Al-Shifa hospital (4 am)
The World Health Organization declared the loss of contact with its associates at al-Shifa hospital, a pivotal institution in northern Gaza reportedly besieged by Israeli forces.
“As distressing reports surface of the hospital enduring repeated assaults, we believe our contacts have sought refuge on the hospital grounds alongside thousands of displaced individuals,” stated WHO in a release. They added, “There are accounts of individuals fleeing the hospital being subject to gunfire, sustaining injuries, and even fatalities.”
Israel retaliates against Syria after Golan attack (3:20 am)
“A brief while ago, yesterday (Saturday), as a response to the incursion towards the Golan Heights, IDF warplanes targeted sites of terrorist infrastructure in Syria,” announced the Israel Defense Forces.
Prior to this, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari affirmed that Israel had engaged Syria using artillery in response to two rockets launched in the Golan Heights, which landed in an unpopulated area.
Jordanian Air Force delivers aid to Gaza (12:02 am)
Jordan delivered medical aid to its field hospital in the Gaza Strip, as reported by the Jordanian state news agency.
The report detailed that this operation marked Jordan’s second collaborative effort with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Netanyahu underscores the demand for a ceasefire (10:49 pm)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuffed growing international appeals for a ceasefire, asserting that Israel would not cease military operations in Gaza until achieving triumph.
“No amount of international pressure, or baseless allegations against Israel, will alter our conviction in the righteousness of our course and our obligation to defend ourselves,” he conveyed during a televised press conference.
Responding to French President Emmanuel Macron’s assertions of Israel causing civilian casualties, including women and children, Netanyahu contended that Israel does not need moralizing.
Netanyahu dismisses PA reinstatement for governing Gaza (10:49 pm)
The prime minister also pledged to uphold Israeli security control in Gaza following the Hamas takeover, asserting that “only after the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, alongside Israel possessing the freedom to engage in counterterrorism operations, might reconstitution take place.”
He also dismissed the likelihood of the Palestinian Authority reassuming governance in Gaza, highlighting the group’s failure to condemn Hamas’ October 7 attack, claiming 1,200 lives in Israel. This authority was ousted from Gaza by Hamas in 2007 and currently maintains control solely over segments of the West Bank.
Hezbollah driving Lebanon towards conflict: Israeli defense chief (5:45 pm)
During an assessment of the situation along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, the Israeli Defense Minister declared that Hezbollah is steering Lebanon towards a potential war, at the expense of Lebanese citizens. Yoav Galant issued these remarks amid ongoing clashes between the Iran-backed militant group and Israeli forces.
He characterized Hezbollah’s actions as “aggression, no longer mere provocations,” and expressed, “What we have executed in Gaza, we have the capability to replicate in Beirut.”
Israel refutes ‘besiegement’ of Al-Shifa hospital (5:30 pm)
The Israeli military affirmed that Al-Shifa Hospital is not under siege, and that individuals desiring to depart are permitted to do so. Colonel Moshe Tetro, the head of Gaza coordination and liaison for the military, stated that despite confrontations between Israeli forces and Hamas in the vicinity of the hospital, “no encirclement or attacks have occurred at the hospital.”
Tetro asserted in a video statement that he had maintained communication with the hospital director, extending multiple offers to arrange the departure of those willing to leave.
Prior to this, the hospital director alleged that Al-Shifa had depleted its water, food, and electricity supplies, and had lost internet connectivity. He also claimed that a floor housing a surgical facility had been targeted by Israel, leading to the deaths of four patients in an intensive care unit due to power outages. None of these allegations can be independently verified.
Hezbollah leader acknowledges escalated armament in cross-border assaults (4:40 pm)
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah announced that the group has commenced using more potent weaponry, inclusive of drones and larger missiles, in its nearly daily cross-border offenses against Israel.
Nasrallah, the head of the Iran-backed militant organization in Lebanon, stated that Hezbollah launched the so-called Burkan short-range ballistic missile, weighing between 300 kilograms and 500 kilograms.
In a televised declaration, Nasrallah expressed that the group, designated a terrorist entity by the US, was dispatching attack drones and conventional UAVs nearly daily, targeting deep within Israel, including Haifa.
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