A look at the top developments from Israel-Hamas war:
- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said on Tuesday that it will be forced to halt its operations in Gaza by Wednesday night, if it does not get fuel urgently. The UNRWA is hosting more than half a million people out of nearly 1 million displaced across the Gaza Strip, the agency’s director general Philippe Lazzarini had said on Sunday. “Without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and bakeries,” he said. “Without fuel, aid will not reach those in desperate need. Without fuel, there will be no humanitarian assistance.”
2. Israel’s continuous air strikes in the Gaza Strip have killed more than 6,500 people, including over 2,700 children. On Tuesday, Gaza’s ministry of health said that 700 people died in the region in the past 24 hours after Israel struck 400 targets, the BBC reported. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund on Tuesday said that the past 18 days is the deadliest escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel that it has witnessed since 2006.
3. As the conflict continues in West Asia, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that his country would respond decisively if Iran or its proxies attack Americans, reported Reuters. “The United States does not seek conflict with Iran,” Blinken said at the UN Security Council meeting. “We do not want this war to widen. But if Iran or its proxies attack US personnel anywhere, make no mistake: We will defend our people, we will defend our security – swiftly and decisively.”
4. Israel has refused visas to the United Nations officials after the organisation’s Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday that the Hamas attack on October 7 did not happen in a vacuum. Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said that it has already refused a visa for Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths. “The time has come to teach them a lesson,” Erdan said.
5. On Tuesday, Israel also warned Hamas to free the over 200 Israeli hostages in its custody. It also asked residents of Gaza for information about the hostages and offered protection and compensation in return. “If your will is to live in peace and to have a better future for your children, do the humanitarian deed immediately and share verified and valuable information about hostages being held in your area,” it said. “The Israeli military assures you that it will invest maximum effort in providing security for you and your home, and you will receive a financial reward. We guarantee you complete confidentiality.”
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