- Ongoing Conflicts in Gaza despite Negotiations and Polio Concerns
In the midst of attempts to establish a truce and amidst a polio outbreak, clashes in the Gaza Strip persist. The Israeli army claims to have eliminated numerous adversaries in close-quarter combat since Thursday. Moreover, Israeli military actions resulted in the demolition of terrorist bases during skirmishes in Khan Yunis in the south and Deir al-Balah up north. Israel's air force also joined in, striking positions from which rockets were launched into Israeli territory. The Palestinian news source Wafa reported casualties among civilians due to Israeli attacks. In northern Israel, there was also an exchange of fire between the army and the Hisbollah militia, connected to Hamas. Initially, the information could not be authenticated independently.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) lambasted the effects of recurring Israeli evacuation orders for civilians in the Gaza Strip. Since the hostilities started last October, about 90% of the 2.2 million inhabitants of the coastal region have been displaced multiple times, according to Muhannad Hadi, the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian territories. Residents are compelled to flee repeatedly, frequently under fire and with minimal belongings. The space for internally displaced individuals is shrinking. "Access to fundamental services such as healthcare, shelter, water, and humanitarian assistance is being denied to people," Hadi wrote.
While mediation talks for a ceasefire continued in Cairo, the primary point of controversy, as reported, was Hamas' demand for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu opposes. UN envoys urged at least a temporary halt to fighting to enable polio vaccinations for hundreds of thousands of children in the conflict zone.
The Gaza conflict originated with the deadliest massacre in Israel's history, where terrorists from the Islamist Hamas and other radical groups were responsible for more than 1,200 deaths on October 7.
The UN, expressing concern over the situation, has urged for a temporary ceasefire to allow polio vaccinations for children in the Gaza Strip. This call comes during ongoing mediations for a ceasefire in Cairo, where Hamas' demand for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is a major point of controversy. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has criticized the recurring Israeli evacuation orders for civilians in the Gaza Strip, leading to multiple displacements and denial of fundamental services.
