Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza continues with at least 61 Palestinians killed in attacks across the Strip over the past 24-hour reporting period.
Two Palestinian journalists are killed in Israeli air strikes, including a reporter with Al Jazeera Mubasher whose car was blown up in northern Gaza.
At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks and more than 200 taken captive
At least 51 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks
The death toll from Israeli bombardment throughout the day in the besieged Gaza Strip now stands at 51, medical sources tell Al Jazeera.
The number of fatalities is likely to rise as incessant attacks continue in the north and south of the Palestinian enclave.
EU ‘doesn’t see’ Hamas ruling Gaza in the future
On a visit to Israel, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas addressed the situation in Gaza, where Israel has restarted intense air strikes and ground assaults.
Kallas said the European Union welcomed the Arab plan for the reconstruction of Gaza but said more needs to be done on issues such as cost-sharing and the future of governance.
“We see no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza,” the diplomat said. “We definitely need to discuss how the governance of Gaza is foreseen, … and the European Union is ready to participate in those discussions.”
She said the fundamental next steps are restating the ceasefire, ensuring the release of all captives and resuming the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza with the goal of a permanent ceasefire.
“The European Union can help whether through restating our Rafah border-crossing mission or providing more humanitarian assistance.”
Egypt rejects ‘liquidation of the Palestinian cause’
Egypt has denied media reports suggesting it will accept hundreds of thousands of ethnically cleansed Palestinians from Gaza in exchange for economic aid.
In a statement, the State Information Service said the forced displacement of Gaza people “represents a liquidation of the Palestinian cause and an imminent threat to Egyptian national security”.
It reiterated Egypt’s absolute rejection “of any attempt to forcibly or voluntarily displace Palestinians from Gaza to any location outside the enclave, particularly to Egypt”.
“Egyptian foreign policy has never been based on bargaining supreme Egyptian and Arab interests for anything, whatever its type,” the statement said.
On Friday, Egypt dismissed Israeli media reports alleging Cairo is preparing to temporarily relocate 500,000 Palestinians to a designated city in North Sinai as part of a plan to rebuild Gaza.
Slain Al Jazeera journalist previously wounded in Israeli attack
What we know is that Mohammad Mansour, a Palestinian journalist who works for the Palestine Today channel, was targeted in his house in southern Khan Younis alongside his wife and son.
Just 30 minutes ago, we heard the horrific news coming from northern Gaza that Hossam Shabat, an Al Jazeera Mubasher reporter, was killed in an air strike on his car as he reported in northern Gaza.
Hossam, a 23-year-old Palestinian journalist, had been previously wounded in an Israeli attack, but he insisted on continuing news reporting in Gaza.
The Israeli military targeted his vehicle without any prior warning. He is one among 287 Palestinian journalists killed since the eruption of this devastating Israeli military campaign on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
‘Children are being killed and the women slaughtered’
Palestinian Nour Issa Mekawi describes the chaotic situation as she fled her Rafah home in Gaza after being ordered to leave and then bombed by Israeli drones while fleeing.
“We were shocked to see the amount of missiles and quadcopters attacking us. I have seen so many innocent martyrs all over the place. So many others were killed in their cars,” she told Al Jazeera.
“Where are the Arab countries? They have let us down. The children are being killed and the women slaughtered.”
Israel readying new Gaza invasion – WSJ
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his national-security team are allegedly planning a major new ground offensive dedicated to capturing large swaths of territory in Gaza, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The alleged plans come amid renewed Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave after a temporary truce between Hamas and the Jewish state expired on March 1. Mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt, the ceasefire had led to a partial Israeli withdrawal and limited hostage releases. However, since its collapse, both sides have blamed each other for failing to reach a renewed agreement.
The WSJ reported on Sunday that Israeli forces have already moved into northern Gaza, areas near Rafah, and the central Netzarim corridor, marking the start of a campaign to recapture and hold territory previously vacated under a ceasefire arrangement.
According to the outlet, Netanyahu’s new advisers have been advocating for a strategy that relies on beating Hamas on the battlefield by force of arms before pursuing any political solution to the Gaza conflict.
Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that his country would continue to seize territory in Gaza for as long as Hamas holds hostages. Meanwhile, Israeli officials have also advocated for fully destroying Hamas’s remaining infrastructure such as tunnels and weapons caches, even if it takes years and leads to more civilian casualties, the WSJ wrote.
Israel’s new approach is reportedly being fueled by US President Donald Trump’s order to ramp up ammunition deliveries to the Jewish State and his administration’s calls for Netanyahu to “take the gloves off” against Hamas.
While announcing last week the renewal of ground operations in Gaza, Netanyahu’s office declared that “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength.”
It also specified that the new offensive is a response to the Palestinian group’s “refusal to release hostages” and its rejection of proposals on extending the truce.
Hamas, in turn, has accused Israel of “unilaterally” ending the ceasefire, according to Reuters.
Palestinian authorities claimed on Sunday that over 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since fighting began some 18 months ago.
The war between Hamas and Israel broke out following the Palestinian group’s surprise cross-border attack on October 7, 2023 that killed around 1,200 people and led to the capture of roughly 250 hostages.
No comments:
Post a Comment