Conflict in the Middle East Region - USA requests more information following school assault.
The US is urging for a thorough investigation of the lethal Israeli air raid on a school structure in the Gaza Strip. If the Israeli army aims to eliminate 20-30 extremists and kids perish in the process, "that reveals something is amiss," commented Matthew Miller, US State Department spokesperson.
"Such situations need to be investigated, and that's what we desire." Josep Borrell, the EU's Foreign Policy Chief, called for a neutral inquiry into the assault. Meanwhile, there's no confirmation on whether US President Joe Biden's public statement to put an end to the hostilities in the Gaza Strip will materialize. "We haven't received an official reply from Hamas," Miller stated.
At least 30 individuals lost their lives in the Israeli airstrike on the school building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, confirmed Palestinian officials. Hamas referred to 40 casualties. Over 50 people were injured. Reports from medical personnel described the majority of the fatalities as women, children, and teenagers.
The UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) used the school as a shelter. According to the UN-Palestinian charity organization, the school had functioned as a sanctuary. On the other hand, the Israeli military asserted that 20-30 members of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad were occupying three classrooms at the time of the assault, planning and orchestrating attacks from there. Initial investigations show that many of them were slain.
Intelligence information had previously indicated that "there were no women or children" in the involved rooms, said Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari. The Israeli army had monitored the school in the last few days, and the attack had been postponed twice to prevent civilian casualties. Nonetheless, the palpable discrepancy between the statements of the Palestinian side and those of the Israelis could not be confirmed.
Miller mentioned a complex scenario. Israel holds the right to attack extremists if they're truly situated in the school. Still, these extremists had located themselves near civilians, and Israel is obligated to prioritize protecting civilians. Israel's government and military are urged to be entirely transparent about what took place at the scene.
The UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency's school buildings have become shelters for internally displaced persons in the hopes that Israel's army would typically refrain from targeting UN structures. Israel, on the other hand, argues that Hamas utilizes civilian institutions to jeopardize civilians or hide behind them.
Hagari disclosed that the identities of the deceased terrorists would be unveiled shortly. Some of them were involved in the deadliest massacre in Israel's history, which occurred on October 7 of last year, resulting in over 1,200 fatalities and more than 250 hostages taken in Hamas's controlled coastal region.
Germany and Allied Nations: Hamas Should Fully Implement Biden's Plan
The United States, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom urged Hamas to fully accept US President Biden's proposed plan to end the Gaza conflict and implement it at once. The joint assertion, released by the Elysee Palace, affirmed their endorsement of the comprehensive plan.
The plan recommends a halt to the fighting in three phases. The first phase entails a comprehensive and limitless ceasefire, followed by a permanent ceasefire during a six-week truce in the second phase. The terms of the truce are to be negotiated during the truce, as per the draft. Hamas, however, will only agree to an accord if a permanent ceasefire is guaranteed initially.
Hamas Leader: No Agreement Without Disarmament
Based on a US news report, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar refuses an agreement with Israel that demands the disarmament of his terrorist militia. Sinwar, who is reportedly hiding in an undisclosed location in the Gaza Strip, has ordered his organization's negotiators not to sign an agreement undergoing disarmament. The "Wall Street Journal" cited Arab mediators who were in touch with Hamas' negotiation representatives.
The state-affiliated Egyptian television channel Al-Kahira News previously reported, citing high-ranking government officials, that Hamas would respond to the initiative in the near future. Egypt, Qatar, and the United States are interceding between Israel and Hamas.
Armed Individuals Killed at Gaza - They Desired to Reach Israel
The Israeli army eliminated three armed suspects who attempted to infiltrate Israel from the Gaza Strip, reported their own statements. Israeli forces stationed in the southern coastal region had spotted strange movements and despatched ground troops to the Kerem Shalom border crossing. The ground troops came under fire, prompting a retaliatory response that resulted in the deaths of the three suspects. A soldier also lost his life in the skirmish.
The army claimed that the group was only 300 meters from the border, yet they couldn't penetrate the heavily fortified concertina-wire fence. An inquiry is underway to determine how the group managed to approach the secure border so closely. The suspects were 300 meters away from the border, said a military spokesperson. They were unable to penetrate the border fence.
Read also:
- Matthew Miller, the US State Department spokesperson, questioned the ethics of an Israeli air raid that resulted in the death of children while targeting extremists in the Gaza Strip.
- The tragic incident occurred in a school building located in the Nuseirat refugee camp, as confirmed by Palestinian officials.
- Hamas reported 40 casualties, while Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari claimed that only 20-30 members of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad were eliminated.
- Josep Borrell, the EU's Foreign Policy Chief, demanded a neutral investigation into the assault, expressing concerns over civilian deaths.
- Without receiving an official response from Hamas, US President Joe Biden's public statement to end hostilities in Gaza remained uncertain.
- German and Allied Nations called on Hamas to promptly implement US President Biden's plan to cease fire in Gaza, according to a joint statement from the Elysee Palace.
- Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar reportedly refused to sign an agreement demanding the disarmament of his terrorist militia, as reported by US news sources.
- In retaliation for infiltration attempts, the Israeli army eliminated three armed suspects attempting to cross the border from Gaza.
- The United States, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom endorsed a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict, consisting of a ceasefire and peace negotiations.
- Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar refused an agreement with Israel that required the disarmament of his terrorist militia, reported by Arab mediators in contact with Hamas' negotiation representatives.
- The Israeli military maintained that the suspects were only 300 meters from the border and unable to penetrate the heavily fortified fence.
- The EU's Foreign Policy Chief, Josep Borrell, advocated for a thorough investigation of the Israeli air raid against a UN-Palestinian charity organization's school building in the Gaza Strip.
- Hezbollah's involvement in the conflict in the Middle East region, particularly in the Lebanon-Israel border, further complicates existing conflicts and poses threats to peace in the Mediterranean region.
