Gaza’s Health Ministry said the bodies of 67 people killed by Israeli strikes were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, bringing the Palestinian death toll to more than 31,112 since the war began. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says that women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
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Quick Read
- Palestinians in Gaza started Ramadan fasting amid ongoing conflict, facing worsening hunger and a humanitarian crisis.
- Cease-fire talks involving the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt stalled, failing to secure a pause for Ramadan that would have included prisoner exchanges and significant aid entry.
- The Palestinian death toll has surpassed 31,000, with two-thirds being women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a new, longer humanitarian cease-fire and more aid for Gaza, emphasizing Israel’s right to self-defense but opposing a ground offensive in Rafah.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel and Hamas to honor Ramadan by ceasing fire and called for the release of all hostages taken by Hamas during their attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.
- Hundreds attended Ramadan prayers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque, with some worshippers turned away by Israeli forces citing security concerns.
- The Israeli military censured Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram for unauthorized bombing of Al-Israa University in Gaza, a rare reprimand for actions during the conflict.
The Associated Press has the story:
At least 67 Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes as Ramadan begins
Newslooks- Gaza-(AP)
With no end to fighting sight, Palestinians in Gaza began fasting Monday for the holy month of Ramadan as hunger worsens across the strip and pressure grows on Israel over the growing humanitarian crisis. The United States, Qatar and Egypt had hoped to broker a cease-fire ahead of the normally joyous month of dawn-to-dusk fasting that would include the release of dozens of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of a large amount of humanitarian aid. However, the cease-fire talks stalled last week.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said the bodies of 67 people killed by Israeli strikes were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, bringing the Palestinian death toll to more than 31,112 since the war began. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says that women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostage. Hamas is still believed to be holding around 100 captives.
Five months of war have forced around 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes and pushed hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine.
GERMAN LEADER CALLS FOR NEW, LONGER CEASE-FIRE AND MORE AID FOR GAZA
BERLIN – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is calling for a new and longer humanitarian cease-fire and says that more humanitarian aid must reach Gaza.
Germany is a staunch ally of Israel and has repeatedly expressed its solidarity with the country in its war against Hamas. But it has pressed for better aid supplies and for an eventual two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“More humanitarian aid must reach Gaza and that is our clear call to Israel, which has every right to defend itself against Hamas,” Scholz said Monday at a news conference with Malaysia’s prime minister.
He added that “we don’t think a ground offensive on Rafah is right.”
The German leader said that “an important step now would be a cease-fire that lasts longer, ideally during Ramadan already.”
The United States, Qatar and Egypt had hoped to broker a cease-fire ahead of Ramadan that would include the release of dozens of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of a large amount of humanitarian aid, but the talks have stalled.
U.N. CHIEFS CALLS ON ISRAEL AND HAMAS TO ‘SILENCE THE GUNS’
UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations chief is urging Israel and Hamas to honor the spirit of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by “silencing the guns” and to show compassion by releasing all hostages seized by the militant group during its attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that Monday marks the start of Ramadan when “Muslims around the world celebrate and spread the values of peace, reconciliation and solidarity.”
Yet, in Gaza, “the killing, bombing and bloodshed continue,” he said, with civilian killings and destruction in the territory “at a level that is unprecedented” in his more than seven years as secretary-general.
He warned that Israel’s threatened assault on the southern city of Rafah where over a million Palestinians have sought safety “could plummet the people of Gaza into an even deeper circle of hell.”
Guterres said life-saving humanitarian assistance is only entering Gaza “in trickles,” and in the Ramadan spirit he also called for the removal of all obstacles so food and other aid can be delivered with speed and on a massive scale.
“The eyes of the world are watching. The eyes of history are watching. We cannot look away,” said the U.N. chief, who has been calling for a humanitarian cease-fire for months. “We must act to avoid more preventable deaths. … Desperate civilians need action – immediate action.”
HUNDREDS ATTEND RAMADAN PRAYERS AT AL-AQSA MOSQUE
JERUSALEM — Hundreds of Palestinians attended prayers at a major Jerusalem holy site on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The congregation at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on midday Monday was far smaller than in previous years. At some entrances, Israeli forces could be seen turning some worshippers away, citing unspecified security concerns. At one entrance, however, worshippers could be seen filing through without being stopped.
The compound is the third holiest site in Islam. It is built on a hilltop that is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount because it was the location of the two Jewish temples in antiquity.
The site has long been a major flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Tensions have soared in recent years as Israel has allowed increasing numbers of Jews to visit the compound. That has stoked Palestinian fears that Israel intends to take over or partition it.
Israel’s government, which includes prominent religious ultranationalists, denies having any such plans. Israeli authorities have said they will allow normal access to Muslim worshippers this year, even as war raging in Gaza threatens to spill over across the region.
Hamas has called on Palestinians to confront Israeli forces during Ramadan, the holy month of dawn-to-dusk fasting.
ISRAELI ARMY CENSURES A TOP COMMANDER FOR GAZA BOMBING
TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military says it has censured a top commander over the bombing of a university in Gaza.
The military says Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, the commander of the 99th Division, was rebuked for the January blast, which according to Al-Israa University destroyed buildings for graduate studies and bachelor’s colleges at its main campus outside Gaza City.
The military said Monday that an inquiry showed Hamas was using the buildings and their surroundings for military purposes but that Hiram did not receive proper approval to carry out the blast.
The university said at the time of the demolition that Israeli forces had occupied the campus for over two months and had used it as a base of operations.
Hiram’s censure, which amounts to a notch in his personal file in the military, is a rare case of Israel reprimanding its forces for their conduct during the war in Gaza.
Hiram was also criticized when he ordered a tank to fire at a house where militants were holding hostages during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. The fire may have killed some of the hostages, according to their families. The military said commanders had to make difficult decisions in a complex battlefield that day, and that it would investigate the incident.
Currently:
— Palestinians in Gaza begin Ramadan with hunger worsening and no end in sight to the Israel-Hamas war.
— Biden cajoles Netanyahu with tough talk, humanitarian concerns but Israeli PM remains dug in.
— Muslims spot Ramadan crescent moon in Saudi Arabia, meaning month of fasting starts Monday for many.
— Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
