The war between Israel and Hamas, now in its fifth month, has devastated hospitals in the Gaza Strip, with less than half of them only partially functioning as Israel’s daily bombardments kill and wound scores of people. Israel accuses the militants of using hospitals and other civilian buildings as cover. Palestinians began evacuating the main hospital in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, according to videos shared by medics on Wednesday. The Israeli military said it had opened a secure route to allow civilians to leave the hospital, while medics and patients could remain inside. The number of Palestinians killed during the war in Gaza has surpassed 28,000 people, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. A quarter of Gaza’s residents are starving. The United States, which has provided crucial military and diplomatic support to Israel, has been working with Qatar and Egypt to try and broker a cease-fire and the return of the remaining 130 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, around a fourth of whom are believed to be dead. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for making unrealistic demands during cease-fire negotiations in Cairo. His remarks late Wednesday came hours after local media reported Netanyahu ordered an Israeli delegation not to return to the talks. The war began with Hamas’ assault into Israel on Oct. 7, in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Here’s the latest:
Quick Read
- The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has severely impacted Gaza’s healthcare, leaving less than half of the hospitals partially operational due to daily Israeli bombardments.
- Civilians are evacuating Khan Younis’ main hospital in Gaza, with the Israeli military facilitating a safe passage for civilians while allowing medical staff and patients to remain.
- Gaza’s death toll has exceeded 28,000, with a significant portion of the population facing starvation amid the conflict.
- The US, alongside Qatar and Egypt, is attempting to mediate a ceasefire and negotiate the release of about 130 Israeli hostages held by Hamas, with an estimated quarter deceased.
- Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has accused Hamas of presenting unrealistic demands in the Cairo ceasefire negotiations, following reports of Israel recalling its negotiation team.
- The conflict initiated with a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths, mainly civilians, and around 250 abductions.
- A rocket attack from Lebanon killed an Israeli female soldier and wounded others, escalating tensions and prompting Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, which resulted in additional casualties, including a Syrian woman and her Lebanese children.
- UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated that the UK would only resume funding to UNRWA if guaranteed that the agency would not employ staff willing to attack Israel.
- Netanyahu asserts that no new proposals have been presented by Hamas in the hostage release talks, maintaining that Israel will not yield to Hamas’s demands.
- The ongoing conflict and daily exchanges of fire along the Israel-Lebanon border, involving Hezbollah, heighten the risk of a broader regional conflict.
The Associated Press has the story:
Israeli Military confirms soldier killed in rocket attack from Lebanon
Newslooks- JERUSALEM — (AP)
The Israeli military confirmed that a female soldier was killed in a rocket attack from Lebanon on Wednesday that wounded several others in the town of Safed.
Staff Sgt. Omer Sarah Benjo was killed by the attack from Lebanon that struck a military base in northern Israel, the army said.
Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, which supports Hamas, have traded fire along the border nearly every day since the start of the war in Gaza, raising the risk of a wider conflict. Hezbollah did not immediately claim responsibility for the rocket attack.
Israel carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon in response, killing four people, including a Syrian woman and her two Lebanese children, and wounding at least nine, Lebanese security officials and local media said.
The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said in a statement that “two innocent children lost their lives due to an air strike attack” in Lebanon on Wednesday, adding, “We urgently call for the protection of children in times of war and at all times.”
UK FOREIGN SECRETARY WANTS A GUARANTEE ABOUT UNRWA EMPLOYEES BEFORE RESTORING FUNDING
SOFIA, Bulgaria — British Foreign Secretary David Cameron says the U.K. will only restore funding to the United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees if there is an “absolute guarantee” it won’t employ staff willing to attack Israel.
The U.K. joined the U.S. and several other donor nations countries in suspending funding to UNRWA after Israel alleged a dozen of its employees took part in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, which ignited the current war in Gaza. The U.N. is investigating the claims.
During a visit to Bulgaria, Cameron said that Britain was seeking “an absolute guarantee that this can’t happen again.”
He said Britain had paused its funding while “reviews are taking place.”
“We need them to take place quickly, because many UNRWA staff do an absolutely vital job inside Gaza, where they’re the only network for distributing aid to make sure that we get aid to people that need it very, very badly,” he said.
NETANYAHU SAYS HAMAS HASN’T OFFERED A NEW PROPSAL IN HOSTAGE RELEASE TALKS
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas has not offered any new proposal during talks in Cairo meant to free Israeli hostages and bring about a cease-fire.
Netanyahu’s remarks in a statement Wednesday came after local media reported that the Israeli leader had told an Israeli delegation not to return to the talks.
In the statement, Netanyahu said Israel “wouldn’t surrender to Hamas’ delusional demands,” and said a change in Hamas’ positions would allow the talks to move forward.
Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until “total victory” over Hamas and the return of all the roughly 100 hostages. Hamas has said it will not release all the captives until Israel ends its offensive, withdraws from Gaza and releases a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including top militants. Netanyahu has rejected those demands.
ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES ON SOUTHERN LEBANON KILL 4, INCLUDING A WOMAN AND HER 2 CHILDREN
BEIRUT — Israel carried out airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Wednesday after a rocket slammed into a northern Israeli town earlier in the day. Casualties were reported on both sides of the border.
Four people were killed in Lebanon, including a Syrian woman and her two Lebanese children in the village of Souaneh, and at least nine were wounded, Lebanese security officials and local media said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV reported that another airstrike on the village of Adchit killed one person and wounded nine. It was not immediately clear if the dead person was a civilian or a Hezbollah fighter.
Earlier Wednesday, a projectile hit a home in Israel’s northern town of Safed, wounding at least eight people. Israeli media reported that a woman was killed in that attack, but the military did not immediately confirm the reports. Hezbollah did not claim the attack on Safed.
Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, which supports Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers, have traded fire along the border nearly every day since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7.
ROCKET ATTACK ON ISRAELI TOWN NEAR BORDER WITH LEBANON CAUSES CASUALTIES
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says a rocket attack on Wednesday wounded eight people in the northern town of Safed, not far from the border with Lebanon. Israeli media reported that a woman was killed in the attack, but the military did not immediately confirm the reports.
The town, around 12 kilometers (7 miles) from the border is farther south than most of the daily border skirmishes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group.
The Israeli army said there were approximately 10 launches towards northern Israel on Wednesday and that a nearby military base was targeted. One of the rockets hit a home in Safed, causing the casualties, while another two were intercepted.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah or Palestinian armed groups in Lebanon, which have also fired rockets into northern Israel.
Last month, Hezbollah said it launched a drone strike at the army’s northern headquarters. Israel’s military acknowledged at the time that one of its bases was targeted but said there were no injuries or damage.
The increasing cross-border attacks have led to fears of a wider conflict linked to the ongoing war in Gaza. Hezbollah says that by keeping Israel’s northern front active, it is helping to reduce pressure on Palestinian Hamas in Gaza. Nearly 200 Hezbollah fighters and more than 20 civilians have been killed on the Lebanese side since Oct. 7.
In Israel, 19 people have been killed by rocket attacks from Lebanon, including 10 civilians. More than 180 Israelis have been wounded, including a woman and her son who were critically wounded on Tuesday in a rocket attack in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona.
Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes on both sides of the border.
ISRAELI MILITARY RELEASES VIDEO OF WHAT IT CLAIMS IS A HAMAS LEADER IN UNDERGROUND TUNNELS
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has released a video of what it claims is Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar walking through tunnels underneath Gaza’s second-largest city with his family.
The Israeli military says the video was taken under Khan Younis days after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel.
In the video, a man identified as Sinwar is seen from the back, with his wife and three children walking ahead of him. He is wearing sandals and carrying a bag. His daughter clutches a doll as the family, led by what the army claims is Sinwar’s brother, makes their way through the tunnels.
The face of the man identified as Sinwar is not visible and the claims could not be independently verified.
The army also released video of a tunnel compound where it claimed Sinwar was recently hiding with his family. The compound had a bathroom and kitchen with stockpiles of food, including bags marked with logos of the U.N. agency that delivers most aid to people in Gaza. Israel has long accused UNRWA of tolerating or collaborating with Hamas — a charge the agency denies.
Another room had a safe with plastic storage bags filled with shekels and dollars. The army did not provide information to support its claim that Sinwar had spent time in that tunnel compound.
Sinwar is Hamas’ top leader inside the Palestinian territory. Israeli officials have vowed to kill him and crush the militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Tuesday evening that the army was combing through intelligence files seized during operations in the tunnels. He said the army had multiple videos of Sinwar.
“While the people of Gaza are suffering above ground, Sinwar is hiding in tunnels and the ground underneath them, running like the coward that he is,” said Hagari.
Currently:
— Airstrike during Israeli hostage rescue wipes out an entire Palestinian family in a Gaza border town
— South Africa launches an ‘urgent request’ with the top UN court over Israel’s targeting of Rafah
— Family of Palestinian-American detained by Israel seeks her release
— Biden says ‘key elements’ of a Gaza deal are on the table as he meets with Jordan’s King Abdullah
— The Israeli military says it has rescued 2 hostages from captivity in the Gaza Strip.
— Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
