Israel continues to bombard the Gaza Strip from north to south on Saturday in an expanded phase of its war against Hamas, which has entered its second month, after the United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution to protect its ally from global calls for a ceasefire.
Escalation of Fighting in Gaza
Since the collapse of the truce last week, Israel has expanded its ground campaign into the southern half of the Gaza Strip by launching an attack on the major southern city of Khan Younis. At the same time, both sides have reported a significant increase in fighting in the north.
Humanitarian Situation in Gaza
Residents of Khan Younis said on Saturday that Israeli forces are ordering people to leave another neighborhood west of the areas that Israeli troops invaded earlier this week, indicating that another attack may be imminent. The vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have already been forced to flee their homes, with many fleeing multiple times. As fighting continues across the territory, residents and United Nations agencies say there is nowhere safe to go, although Israel disputes this.
Casualties and Injuries
The dead and injured arrived at the overcrowded Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis throughout the night. One paramedic emerged from an ambulance carrying the body of a young girl in a pink tracksuit. Inside, injured children were screaming and writhing on the tiled floor as nurses hurried to comfort them. Outside, bodies were arranged in white shrouds. A house in the city was engulfed in rising flames after being hit by a nighttime strike.
U.S. Position
Israel launched its campaign to eliminate Hamas rulers in Gaza after fighters from the Iranian-backed group breached the border between Gaza and Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages in an attack on Israeli towns. Israel says it provides maps to civilians showing safe areas to limit their damage, blaming Hamas for causing civilian deaths by hiding among them, which fighters deny. Palestinians say the campaign has turned into a devastating war against the entire population of the densely populated enclave, which is more populated than London.
United Nations Stance
The United States has supported Israel’s position that a ceasefire would only benefit Hamas. U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood said before Washington’s veto, “We do not support the call of this resolution for a ceasefire that would be unsustainable and would sow the seeds of the next war.” A member of Hamas’s political bureau, Ezzat al-Rishq, condemned the U.S. veto as “inhumane.” Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, stated: “A ceasefire will only be possible with the return of all hostages and the destruction of Hamas.”
International Demands
The White House said on Friday that Israel could do more to limit civilian casualties and that the U.S. shares international concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, “We all recognize that more can be done to try to reduce civilian casualties.”
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