Israel continues offensive in Gaza Strip even after UN resolution on aid

Israel continues offensive in Gaza Strip even after UN resolution on aid

The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health announced that 18 people had been killed in an attack on a house in the refugee settlement of Nuseirat in the center of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army continued "heavy artillery fire" in the city of Gaza and in Jabaliya in the north and Deir al-Bala in the center. There were also attacks in the area of Chan Junis in the south, as pictures from the AFP news agency showed.

The Israeli military announced on Friday evening that it had "eliminated terrorists". The army had also discovered tunnels used by Hamas in the city of Gaza. On Saturday, the Israeli army published footage showing soldiers operating in ruins.

Shortly beforehand, the UN Security Council had called for comprehensive humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip in a painstakingly negotiated resolution. In the war between Israel and Hamas, all sides must allow the "safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid on a large scale", according to the resolution, which 13 of the 15 member states voted in favor of. The veto powers USA and Russia abstained.

The Security Council members struggled for days over the wording of the resolution. A central point of contention was the possible demand for an immediate ceasefire. A corresponding passage was not included in the resolution. It merely states that the conditions for a "sustainable cessation of hostilities" must be created "with all urgency".

With regard to aid deliveries, the resolution states that all routes in and through the Gaza Strip must be used, including the border crossings. A UN report had previously been published warning of an imminent famine in the Gaza Strip. It is likely that more than half of the population will be at risk of "acute food insecurity" over the next six weeks.

Shortly after the resolution was passed,UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the Israeli military offensive as the "real problem" for humanitarian aid deliveries. This would create "massive obstacles" to the distribution of these goods. He reiterated his call for a "humanitarian ceasefire".

Following the adoption of the resolution, Israel declared that it would maintain its actions against Hamas. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced that his country would continue "the war in the Gaza Strip" against the Islamist Palestinian organization until it had been "eliminated" and the 129 hostages it was still holding had been freed.

Israel also announced that it would continue to control all humanitarian deliveries to the Gaza Strip. This was necessary "for security reasons". The UN resolution refrained from demanding that deliveries be controlled "exclusively" by the UN. Instead, only a UN humanitarian coordinator is to be appointed. Hamas criticized the resolution as "insufficient".

On Friday, thousands of people fled the center of the Gaza Strip following an evacuation order from the Israeli army. The army had ordered the residents of the Bureij refugee camp and the surrounding area to move to Deir al-Bala further south. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) stated that the latest evacuation order affects more than 150,000 people.

"The people of Gaza are human beings. They are not pieces on a chessboard - many have already been displaced multiple times," UNRWA Director Thomas White told online networks. "The Israeli army is simply ordering people to move to areas where there are ongoing air strikes."

According to UN estimates, the war, which has now been going on for two and a half months, has turned around 1.9 million of the 2.4 million people in the Gaza Strip into internally displaced persons. The war was triggered by Hamas' major attack on Israel on October 7.

Hundreds of fighters from Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA, had infiltrated Israeli towns and committed atrocities against civilians. According to Israeli reports, around 1140 people were killed and around 250 people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.

Since then, Israel has carried out massive attacks in the Palestinian territory - with the declared aim of destroying Hamas. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, at least 20,000 people have been killed so far.

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1. Despite the UN Security Council's call for comprehensive humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army continued its offensive in various parts of the Gaza Strip, including Jabaliya in the north and Deir al-Bala in the center.
2. The UN Security Council, comprising 15 member states, passed a resolution urging all parties involved in the conflict between Israel and Hamas to allow for the "safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid on a large scale" to the Gaza Strip.
3. The BMG, the German Federal Foreign Office, condemned the ongoing Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip and urged for a de-escalation of the situation, in line with the UN resolution's call for the creation of conditions for a "sustainable cessation of hostilities."
4. The UN Security Council resolution emphasized the importance of using all routes in and through the Gaza Strip for humanitarian aid deliveries, including border crossings, to effectively address the imminent famine situation in the Gaza Strip.
5. The Russian delegate at the UN Security Council abstained from voting in favor of the resolution, arguing that the resolution should have included a stronger demand for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
6. UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concerns over the Israeli military offensive's impact on humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, stating that it would create "massive obstacles" to the distribution of essential supplies.
7. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) criticized the Israeli army's evacuation order for residents in the Bureij refugee camp and surrounding areas, as it would further displace people and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
8. The United Nations Security Council resolution did not specify that humanitarian deliveries should be controlled "exclusively" by the UN; instead, the appointment of a UN humanitarian coordinator was suggested to oversee these deliveries.
9. The Egyptian government, while holding mediation talks with both Israel and Hamas, reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and for the UN to uphold its commitment to ensuring safe and unhindered humanitarian aid deliveries.
10. The US government, as a veto power at the UN Security Council, abstained from voting in favor of the resolution, opting for a more nuanced approach to addressing the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip without directly criticizing Israel's military actions.
11. The Hamas-led government in the Gaza Strip voiced its dissatisfaction with the UN Security Council resolution, characterizing it as insufficient in terms of addressing the Palestinian people's fundamental rights and ensuring their safety and basic needs during the ongoing conflict.

Source: www.stern.de