Israel Captures Hamas’ Former HQ in Gaza City
Israel’s military says it has seized control of Hamas’ former headquarters in Gaza City, but the conflict between the two sides is still raging, and things are only getting worse for civilians. According to United Nations relief agencies, roughly 90% of the Palestinian territory’s population has been displaced, which amounts to nearly 2 million men, women, and children.
The situation is dire, as nearly all those in the enclave are going without food for days at a time, and roughly half of the displaced Palestinians are starving, says the U.N. World Food Program (WFP). A WFP spokesperson described witnessing a family dividing a loaf of bread into small pieces due to the scarcity of food, particularly for children. The humanitarian operation is on the verge of collapse, as it is impossible to deliver aid under these conditions, asserts Abeer Etefa of the WFP.
The head of the U.N.’s relief agency for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, voiced frustration with the failure of global powers to negotiate a new cease-fire. As a result, the flow of aid into Gaza is constrained by the resurging war.
According to Lazzarini, there is an urgent need for Israel to open its Kerem Shalom crossing south of Rafah in order to bring in necessary aid materials at scale. The consequences of a cessation of operations on the part of UNRWA would be catastrophic, as countless people depend on the humanitarian aid it provides.
Moreover, Israel’s military operation against Hamas is continuing despite the growing urgency for a cease-fire. The latest Israeli airstrike obliterated a family home in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, and the biggest hospital in southern Gaza was left overwhelmed with the dead, the injured, and scores of parents and children grappling with loss and grief.
The Ministry of Health in Hamas-ruled Gaza reported that 208 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Monday alone. Amid the suffering in Israel, a rocket fired from Gaza landed in the Tel Aviv suburbs, causing damage to apartments and cars.
Despite Israel’s ongoing offensive, Hamas, in turn, is still capable of hitting the country with rockets. The war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7 after a brutal terror attack by Hamas on southern Israel, and since then, it has resulted in immense suffering and loss of life for both sides.