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A bird flies over damaged buildings in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from southern Israel. /Reuters/Violeta Santos Mora.
A bird flies over damaged buildings in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from southern Israel. /Reuters/Violeta Santos Mora.
French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Thursday, during which he urged him to work towards reaching a permanent ceasefire. France also revealed that it will work with Jordan in the coming days on humanitarian operations in Gaza. Macron’s appeal comes as fighting continues in Gaza, more than two months after the beginning of the conflict.
The Israeli campaign has killed at least 21,320 people, most of them women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-run territories. On Friday, there were four other major developments in the conflict:
Israel continues to bomb Gaza, but French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to communicate with international leaders and agree on a “permanent” ceasefire./Reuters/Amir Cohen.
Israel continues to bomb Gaza, but French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to communicate with international leaders and agree on a “permanent” ceasefire./Reuters/Amir Cohen.
Deadly strike on the hospital
The Palestinian Red Crescent said Thursday that the Israeli bombing over two days near Al-Amal Hospital in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip resulted in the death of 41 people. She added that among the victims were “displaced people looking for shelter” at the Red Crescent headquarters. The Gaza Ministry of Health later said that the Israeli bombing killed 20 people in the Shaboura camp in Rafah, near Egypt.
The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs said an estimated 100,000 additional people arrived in the already crowded southern border city of Rafah in recent days after fighting escalated around Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis.
The United Nations says that Israel attacked an aid convoy
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced on Friday that an aid convoy came under fire by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, without causing any casualties.
Tom White, Director of UNRWA in Gaza, said: “Israeli soldiers opened fire on an aid convoy as it was returning from northern Gaza on the route designated by the Israeli army. The commander of our international convoy and his team were not harmed, but one vehicle was damaged.” X.
According to UNRWA, the incident occurred on Thursday afternoon. The Israeli army responded to requests for comment, saying it was looking into reports related to the incident.
An Israeli artillery unit fires amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, near the border between Israel and Gaza, in southern Israel, December 28, 2023. /Reuters/Violeta Santos Mora.
An Israeli artillery unit fires amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, near the border between Israel and Gaza, in southern Israel, December 28, 2023. /Reuters/Violeta Santos Mora.
Egyptian negotiations
A Hamas official said that a Hamas delegation will arrive in Cairo on Friday to present its “observations” on the Egyptian ceasefire plan. Sources close to Hamas say that Cairo’s three-stage plan provides for a renewed ceasefire and a gradual release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Gaza. IsraelAnd eventually a ceasefire to end the war.
Maritime aid corridor
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that Israel has given preliminary approval to Cyprus to establish a sea humanitarian corridor to transport aid to Gaza. She added that the proposal would allow much-needed international aid to be examined “under Israeli supervision” in Cyprus before it is delivered.
Last week, the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for “safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance on a large scale.”
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Source: AFP, Reuters
