Middle East - Gaza war: Unicef fears further "bloodbath"
The Israeli army says it has resumed fighting against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Fighter planes are currently attacking Islamist Hamas targets in the sealed-off area, the army announced after the end of the week-long ceasefire.
Hamas had violated the ceasefire and fired on Israeli territory, the army said. According to the army, it had initially repelled a suspected rocket attack from the Gaza Strip shortly before the deadline for the ceasefire expired. Subsequently, several attacks were reported from the sealed-off area towards Israel, which were not intercepted.
The Arabic television channel Al-Jazeera reported heavy fighting in the city of Gaza and other areas in the north of the Gaza Strip, citing eyewitnesses. In the center of the Gaza Strip, there was also tank fire near the Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps, it said. The BBC also reported air strikes in the south of the Gaza Strip, citing Hamas. The British broadcaster reported that its own sources had confirmed this.
The UN Children's Fund Unicef strongly condemns the new fighting. "Today, those in power have decided to continue killing children," said Unicef spokesman James Elder. New attacks on the people of Gaza would only cause "a new bloodbath", but would achieve nothing else, he said in a video broadcast from the Gaza Strip.
Hamas: Israel has rejected proposals for a ceasefire extension
According to a high-ranking Hamas official, Israel rejected "several offers, initiatives and proposals" for an extension of the ceasefire. Chalil Al-Haja told the Arab TV channel Al-Jazeera: "We were ready to deal with three proposals for the exchange (of hostages and prisoners), but the occupation (meaning Israel) rejected them." Instead, Israel was preparing to continue its attacks in the Gaza Strip, he said.
"We were in contact with the mediators until this morning, but the talks about a ceasefire ended when the bombing started," said the Hamas official.
Al-Haja accused Israel of maliciously handing over a list of names to the mediators, "all of which turned out to be female soldiers". Israel had also refused to discuss the exchange of adult Palestinian prisoners for adult hostages.
Al-Haja said Hamas had told the mediators that they were still prepared to exchange hostages for prisoners until a ceasefire was reached.
Iran calls for continuation of ceasefire
Following the resumption of fighting in the Gaza war, Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian called for a continuation of the ceasefire. There is no solution other than maintaining the ceasefire, sending massive humanitarian aid to Gaza and an agreement on the exchange of prisoners, the minister said on the online platform X (formerly Twitter). "Prisoners are not freed by war, they are killed by attacks," he continued.
Iran is considered an important supporter of the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but the leadership in Tehran has vehemently denied any direct involvement in the conflict. Iran had already spoken out in favor of a permanent ceasefire in recent days.
UN chief Guterres hopes for a new ceasefire in the Gaza war
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep regret at the resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip. "The return to hostilities only shows how important it is to have a genuine humanitarian ceasefire," he wrote on the X platform (formerly Twitter). "I still hope that it will be possible to renew the pause that was established," said Guterres.
Fighting in the Gaza Strip resumed on Friday morning as soon as the deadline for the ceasefire expired. Guterres had previously called for a "genuine humanitarian ceasefire" between Israel and the Islamist Hamas. At the time, there was still hope that negotiations for an extended ceasefire would be successful.
Baerbock advocates continuation of the ceasefire
Following the resumption of fighting in the Gaza war, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for an international effort to continue the ceasefire. "In these minutes, we must do everything we can to ensure that the humanitarian ceasefire continues", demanded the Green politician in Berlin.
This was necessary "both for the remaining hostages, who have been hoping for release in dark tunnels for weeks, and for the suffering people in Gaza, who urgently need more humanitarian aid".
The suffering is unbearable for the people in Israel as well as for the people in Gaza, explained Baerbock on the current situation. "This suffering must finally end for everyone." Israel will never be able to live in security if terror is not combated. At the same time, there could only be security for Israel if the Palestinians also had prospects for the future.
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- The international community, including organizations like UNICEF and the UN, have expressed concern over the escalating conflicts in the Palestinian territories, especially in the Gaza Strip, fearing a potential "bloodbath".
- The resumption of fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has put a halt to any potential ceasefire extension proposals, as per Hamas's high-ranking official Chalil Al-Haja.
- Al-Jazira reported heavy fighting in Gaza City and other areas in the north of the Gaza Strip, citing eyewitnesses and tank fire near the Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps.
- The BBC also reported air strikes in the south of the Gaza Strip, attributing the information to Hamas sources.
- Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, expressed regret over the resumption of hostilities and hoped for a renewal of the pause established in the Gaza war.
- James Elder, UNICEF's spokesperson, was in the Gaza Strip when the new fighting started and strongly condemned the attacks, warning of a new "bloodbath" that would achieve nothing.
- Iran's Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian called for a continuation of the ceasefire, advocating for humanitarian aid to Gaza and an agreement on prisoner exchanges.
- The Israeli army has continued its attacks against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, alleging that Hamas had violated the ceasefire and fired on Israeli territory.
- The areas affected by the violence include the cities of Gaza and Tel Aviv, with reports of ongoing "fight" between Israeli forces and Hamas militants.
- Despite the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, including the Gaza war, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock continues to advocate for international efforts to extend the humanitarian ceasefire, calling for relief for both Israeli and Palestinian civilians.
Source: www.stern.de
