Palestinian officials report that Fatah and Hamas are nearing an agreement to establish a committee of politically neutral technocrats to manage Gaza following the ongoing war. This arrangement would effectively end Hamas' rule in Gaza and potentially aid ceasefire discussions with Israel. The two factions have a history of unsuccessful reconciliation attempts since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. Israel has dismissed any role for either Hamas or Fatah in Gaza's postwar administration, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasizing ongoing Israeli security control over the region and the return of hostages as priorities. Syrian insurgents advance toward Hama as govt forces counterattack A Palestinian Authority official confirmed that preliminary consensus on the committee's formation was reached after weeks of negotiations in Cairo. The proposed body, comprising 12-15 members primarily from Gaza, would report to the Palestinian Authority and coordinate humanitarian and reconstruction efforts with local and international actors. Hamas and Fatah have agreed on broad terms but are still negotiating details, including committee member selection. An announcement is expected after a meeting of all Palestinian factions in Cairo, though no timeline has been provided. Both Palestinian and Israeli officials have avoided public comment on the matter. The U.S. supports reviving the Palestinian Authority's governance over both Gaza and the West Bank as a step toward statehood, though Israel opposes such an outcome. Meanwhile, some Fatah leaders criticize the proposal, with Jibril Rajoub warning it could deepen divisions between Gaza and the West Bank. Syria sends in reinforcements to halt insurgents from advancing after seizing Aleppo The committee's work would begin after a ceasefire agreement, which has faced repeated delays despite mediation efforts by American and Arab diplomats. The conflict escalated after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which left over 1,200 people dead and led to the abduction of 250 hostages. Israel’s military response has devastated Gaza, resulting in over 44,000 Palestinian deaths, largely women and children, according to local health authorities.

President-elect Donald Trump has issued a stark warning regarding the hostages held by Hamas, stating that there will be severe consequences if they are not freed before his inauguration on January 20, 2025. In a post on Truth Social, Trump criticized the lack of action to secure the release of those captured during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which left over 1,200 dead and at least 250 people abducted, including seven Americans. Trump condemned the conditions of the hostages, describing their treatment as violent and inhumane. He emphasized that their continued captivity would lead to unprecedented retaliation, warning of significant repercussions for those responsible for the abductions. Trump says BRICS countries must commit they’ll not replace US dollar or they’ll face 100% tariffs A recent video released by Hamas featured Edan Alexander, a 20-year-old Israeli-American hostage who was abducted during the October 7 attack. In the footage, Alexander, visibly distressed, appealed for his release while conveying forced messages to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump. Netanyahu has reaffirmed his commitment to securing the hostages' freedom. Despite ongoing efforts, a lasting ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas remains out of reach over a year after the initial attack. Israeli military operations in Gaza persist. Meanwhile, a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in Lebanon, brokered in November 2024, has already faced violations. Trump threatens to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China on first day in office Israel accused Hezbollah of launching two projectiles on Monday, though no casualties were reported. Netanyahu vowed to enforce the ceasefire and respond to any breaches by Hezbollah.

An Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people in northern Gaza on Thursday killed at least 15 people, including five children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The Israeli military said the strike targeted dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants who had gathered at the school. The strike hit the Abu Hussein school in Jabaliya, an urban refugee camp in northern Gaza where Israel has been waging a major air and ground operation for more than a week. Israel pressured by UN and US to step up action to tackle Gaza's escalating humanitarian crisis Fares Abu Hamza, head of the ministry's emergency unit in northern Gaza, confirmed the toll and said dozens of people were wounded. He said the nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital was struggling to treat the casualties. "Many women and children are in critical condition,” he said. The military said it targeted a command center run by both militant groups inside the school. It provided a list of dozens of names of people it identified as militants who were present when the strike was called in. It was not immediately possible to verify the names.

In a striking revelation reported by the Guardian, CNN faces internal criticism and a growing backlash over its coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict. Journalists from CNN’s newsrooms, both in the United States and internationally, have raised concerns about the network’s editorial policies. These policies, they claim, have led to the dissemination of Israeli perspectives while marginalizing Palestinian voices in the coverage of the war in Gaza. The core of the discontent centers around the network’s handling of key events, particularly the October 7 Hamas massacre and Israel’s subsequent retaliatory attack on Gaza. One CNN staffer lamented, “The majority of news since the war began, regardless of how accurate the initial reporting, has been skewed by a systemic and institutional bias within the network toward Israel,” branding it as “journalistic malpractice.” According to detailed accounts from six CNN staff members and a review of over a dozen internal communications, the daily news output is heavily influenced by directives from CNN headquarters, the Guardian says. These directives have imposed strict guidelines on reporting, including significant restrictions on quoting Hamas and presenting Palestinian perspectives, while often uncritically broadcasting Israeli government statements. Read more: UN experts condemn killing, silencing of journalists in Gaza Mark Thompson, CNN’s new editor-in-chief and CEO, who assumed his role shortly after the October 7 incident, is at the heart of the controversy. Staffers express concern over Thompson’s history of yielding to external pressures in his previous position at the BBC, fearing a similar pattern at CNN. The coverage, as a result, has been criticized for disproportionately highlighting Israeli suffering and narratives, with a notable deficiency in reporting on the Palestinian civilian casualties and the devastation in Gaza. A particularly contentious point is the editorial process, where every story related to the conflict requires approval from the Jerusalem bureau, effectively filtering the content that reaches the public. This process has been condemned for introducing biases, as reports undergo modifications that detract from the Palestinian plight, according to some CNN journalists. Critics within the network have pointed out a notable imbalance, citing an early November directive by David Lindsay, senior director of news standards and practices, that limited the reporting of Hamas statements, labeling them as “inflammatory rhetoric and propaganda.” This contrasts starkly with the network’s approach to Israeli officials’ statements, which have been aired frequently and often without challenge. Amidst these editorial decisions, CNN’s coverage has been accused of utilizing a framework that implicitly justifies Israeli actions by continuously referencing the Hamas attack as the conflict’s “immediate cause.” This narrative, staff members argue, marginalizes other contexts and histories that are crucial for a balanced understanding of the conflict. The network’s spokesperson has defended CNN’s reporting, emphasizing the care taken to attribute claims across their coverage. However, the restrictions on foreign journalists’ access to Gaza, except under Israeli Defense Forces control, have further complicated efforts to present a balanced view, keeping the full impact of the war on Palestinians largely unseen on CNN and similar channels.  This internal critique of CNN’s coverage echoes past accusations of bias, reminiscent of the network’s approach post-9/11 and its coverage of the Afghan conflict. The current discontent among CNN staff highlights a deep-seated concern over journalistic integrity and the challenge of maintaining balanced reporting amidst external pressures and editorial mandates. Read more: Hamas shows signs of resurgence in parts of Gaza where Israeli troops largely withdrew weeks ago

Ambassador of Palestine to Bangladesh, Yousef S. Y. Ramadan, on Thursday said the recent ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gives a sense of optimism for the Palestinians to be independent after 75 years of struggle. "It's the first step on the way. We can build upon this," he said while speaking at the DCAB Talk at Jatiya Press Club. BNP and Jamaat still haven’t uttered a single word against genocide in Palestine: Foreign Minister Responding to a question, Ambassador Ramadan said they should not just stop there. "No. We wanted to wait and see. We want to provide ICJ with the evidence that Israel did commit genocide. This is our duty. This is the duty of everyone," he said. PM Hasina denounces Israeli attacks on Palestine, calls for ending the war The envoy added, "That's what we need ....to continue. And ICJ should continue the work to achieve its goal. It should not just relax." The ambassador said they are extremely grateful to Bangladesh and South Africa for their role. Bangladesh supported the genocide case filed by South Africa with the ICJ. Creation of Palestine state urgent; US key actor in bringing this to reality: Dr Yunus Lauding Bangladesh's position, he said this was a very courageous move from Bangladesh. In the ICJ proceedings, South Africa contended that Israel is violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention with its military assault on Gaza, which began on October 8, 2023, after the attack by Hamas in Israel, which killed 1,200 people and wounded many more. Around 240 people were also taken hostage in the attack. During oral hearings earlier this month, Israel sought to have the case dismissed by the ICJ judges — a motion that was rejected last Friday (January 26). The landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) offers the first concrete hope to protect civilians in Gaza enduring apocalyptic humanitarian conditions, destruction, mass killing, wounding and irreparable trauma, UN experts said today. “The ruling is a significant milestone in the decades-long struggle for justice by the Palestinian people,” the experts said. The ICJ found it plausible that Israel’s acts could amount to genocide and issued six provisional measures, ordering Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent genocidal acts, including preventing and punishing incitement to genocide, ensuring aid and services reach Palestinians under siege in Gaza, and preserving evidence of crimes committed in Gaza. “We echo the sense of urgency demonstrated by the Court in its short, two-week deliberation, as hundreds of Palestinians, primarily women and children, are being killed by Israeli forces every day, resulting in a death toll of 26,751 people in Gaza over the past three months. This amounts to over 1% of the population,” they said. Ambassador Ramadan said that the international community is gradually abandoning Israel that has so far been enjoying impunity just because it is powerful. On January 30, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Britain is ready to bring forward the moment when it formally recognises a Palestinian state. He said Palestinians had to be given a political horizon to encourage peace in the Middle East, BBC reported. When his attention was brought to that, the ambassador said the UK should have been the first to recognise the Palestinian State because all the problems of Palestine were created because of British policy. He said US President Joe Biden is working very hard to find a solution but he should have done it much earlier. Ambassador Ramadan said the international community for long has ignored the Palestinians' issue just because Israel is powerful. "Israel is there fighting us. But who are the countries standing beside it? The powerful countries," he said. Ambassador Ramadan said he does not represent Hamas or Fattah but the Palestine Liberation Organization. “This is a very hot issue. Talk about this,” he said, expressing disappointment over the lack of unity among the Muslim countries while he referred to the unity in Europe. The ambassador said he never felt like a refugee during his nine-year stay in Bangladesh as he always received warmth and love from the people here. DCAB President Nurul Islam Hasib and its General Secretary Ashiqur Rahman Apu also spoke.

An apparent Israeli strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut killed Hamas' No. 2 political leader Tuesday, marking a potentially significant escalation of Israel's war against the militant group and heightening the risk of a wider Middle East conflict. Saleh Arouri, who was the most senior Hamas figure killed since the war with Israel began, was also a founder of the group's military wing. His death could provoke major retaliation by Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah militia. The strike hit an apartment in a building in a Shiite district of Beirut that is a Hezbollah stronghold, and Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to strike back against any Israeli targeting of Palestinian officials in Lebanon. Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been exchanging fire almost daily over the Israeli-Lebanese border since Israel's military campaign in Gaza began nearly three months ago. But so far the Lebanese group has appeared reluctant to dramatically escalate the fighting. A significant response now could send the conflict spiraling into all-out war on Israel's northern border. Top Hamas official Saleh Arouri, who headed West Bank operations, killed in Beirut blast Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the strike was carried out by an Israeli drone, and Israeli officials declined to comment. Speaking to reporters, Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari did not directly mention Arouri's death but said, "We are focused and remain focused on fighting against Hamas." "We are on high readiness for any scenario," he added. The killing comes ahead of a visit to the region by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, even as the United States has tried to prevent a spread of the conflict, repeatedly warning Hezbollah — and its regional supporter, Iran — not to escalate the violence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with the assault in Gaza until Hamas is crushed and the more than 100 hostages still held by the militant group in Gaza are freed, which he has said could take several more months. At the same time, Israeli officials have increasingly warned in recent days of stepped-up action against Hezbollah unless its cross-border fire stops. BEIRUT STRIKE Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have repeatedly threatened to kill Hamas leaders wherever they are. The group's Oct. 7 attack from Gaza into southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, and some 240 others were taken hostage. Israel claims to have killed a number of mid-level Hamas leaders in Gaza, but this would be the first time it has reached into another country to target the group's top leaders, many of whom live in exile around the region. Arouri was the deputy of Hamas' supreme political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, and headed the group's presence in the West Bank. He was also a key liaison with Hezbollah. Tuesday's blast shook a residential building in the Beirut suburb of Musharafieh, killing four people, according to the Lebanese news agency. Hamas confirmed that Arouri was killed along with six other members of the group, including two military commanders. Haniyeh said the movement was "more powerful and determined" following the attack. "They left behind them strong men who will carry the banner after them," he said of those killed. Israel is pulling thousands of troops from Gaza in a possible precursor to a scaled-back offensive Hezbollah called the strike "a serious attack on Lebanon, its people, its security, sovereignty and resistance." "We affirm that this crime will never pass without response and punishment," it said. Since the Gaza conflict began, Lebanese have feared their country could be pulled into a full-fledged war. Hezbollah and Israel fought a monthlong war in 2006, when Israeli bombardment wreaked heavy destruction in southern Lebanon. GAZA COMBAT CONTINUES Israel's air, ground and sea assault in Gaza has killed more than 22,100 people in Gaza, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. The count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The campaign has driven some 85% of Gaza's population from their homes, forcing hundreds of thousands of people into overcrowded shelters or teeming tent camps in Israeli-designated safe areas that the military has nevertheless bombed. Israel's siege of the territory has left a quarter of Gaza residents facing starvation, according to the United Nations. Israel announced Monday that it would withdraw five brigades, or several thousand troops, from Gaza in the coming weeks. Still, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said it would be a mistake to think that Israel is planning on halting the war. "The feeling that we will stop soon is incorrect," he said Tuesday. "Without a clear victory, we will not be able to live in the Middle East." Israel has said it's close to achieving operational control over most of northern Gaza, where ground troops have been battling militants for over two months. But Gallant said several thousand Hamas fighters are believed still to be in the north, and residents reported clashes in several parts of Gaza City, as well as in the nearby urban Jabaliya refugee camp. Fierce fighting has continued in other parts of the Palestinian territory, especially the south, where many of Hamas' forces remain intact and where most of Gaza's population has fled. Palestinians reported heavy airstrikes and artillery shelling in the southern city of Khan Younis and farming areas to the east. The Palestinian Red Crescent said Israel bombed its headquarters in the city, killing five people. At least 14,000 displaced people are sheltering in the building, it said. Fighting was also underway in and around the built-up Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. The army issued evacuation orders to people living in parts of nearby Nuseirat camp. A strike Tuesday leveled a building in Nuseirat, killing at least eight people, according to officials at the nearby hospital. Associated Press footage showed people pulling several children out of the wreckage. Israel is pulling thousands of troops from Gaza as combat focuses on enclave's main southern city GENOCIDE CASE In other developments, officials said Israel will defend itself before the United Nation's top court against charges that it has engaged in genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. The announcement set the stage for what is likely to be a landmark case in international law. South Africa launched the case Friday at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Netherlands, saying the Israeli military campaign targeting Hamas has resulted in enough death, destruction and humanitarian crisis in Gaza to meet the threshold of genocide under international law. South Africa asked the court to order Israel to halt its attacks in Gaza. Israel rarely cooperates in international court cases against it, dismissing the United Nations and international tribunals as unfair and biased. Its decision to respond to the charge signals that the government is concerned about potential damage to its reputation. The genocide charge strikes at the heart of Israel's national identity. The country sees itself as a bulwark of security for Jews after the Holocaust killed 6 million Jews, and world support for Israel's creation in Palestine in 1948 was deeply rooted in outrage over Nazi atrocities. The convention against genocide was drawn up by world powers the same year in hopes of preventing similar atrocities. Eylon Levy, an official in the Israeli prime minister's office, accused South Africa of "giving political and legal cover" to Hamas after its Oct. 7 attack triggered Israel's campaign. "The state of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice at the Hague to dispel South Africa's absurd blood libel," he said. Many South Africans, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, have compared Israel's policies regarding Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank with South Africa's past apartheid regime of racial segregation. Israel rejects such comparisons.

Israeli forces bombarded cities, towns and refugee camps across Gaza on Thursday, killing dozens of people in a widening air and ground offensive against Hamas that has forced thousands more to flee from homes and shelters in recent days. The war has already killed over 20,000 Palestinians and driven around 85% of the population of 2.3 million from their homes. Much of northern Gaza has been leveled, and it has been largely depopulated and isolated from the rest of the territory for weeks. Many fear a similar fate awaits the south as Israel expands its offensive to most of the tiny enclave. Israel has vowed to dismantle Hamas — which is still putting up stiff resistance, even in the north — and bring back more than 100 hostages still held by the militants after their Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel. The assault killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Also read: Israel launches heavy strikes across central and southern Gaza after widening its offensive Israeli officials have brushed off international calls for a cease-fire, saying it would amount to a victory for Hamas. The United States — while providing crucial support for the offensive — has urged Israel to take greater measures to spare civilians and allow in more aid. But humanitarian workers say the amount of food, fuel and medical supplies entering is still far below what is needed, and 1 in 4 Palestinians in Gaza is starving, according to U.N. officials. STRIKES FROM NORTH TO SOUTH An Israeli airstrike on a home in the northern town of Beit Lahiyeh — one of the first targets of the ground invasion that began in October — buried at least 21 people, including women and children, according to a family member. Bassel Kheir al-Din, a journalist with a local TV station, said the strike flattened his family house and severely damaged three neighboring homes. He said 12 members of his family — including three children ages 2, 7 and 8 — were buried and presumed dead, and that nine neighbors were missing. In central Gaza, Israeli warplanes and artillery pounded the built-up Bureij and Nuseirat refugee camps, leveling buildings, residents said. Israel said this week it would expand its ground offensive into central Gaza. The Israeli military typically launches waves of airstrikes and shelling before troops and tanks move in. Also read: Lose a limb or risk death? Growing numbers among Gaza's thousands of war-wounded face hard decisions A hospital in the nearby town of Deir al-Balah received the bodies of 25 people killed overnight, including five children and seven women, hospital records showed Thursday. Nonstop explosions could be heard throughout the night in the town where hundreds of thousands of people have sought shelter, with many spending cold nights sleeping on sidewalks. “It was another night of killing and massacres,” said Saeed Moustafa, a resident of the Nuseirat camp. He said people were still crying out from the rubble of a house hit Wednesday by an airstrike. “We are unable to get them out. We hear their screams, but we don’t have equipment," he said. Farther south, in Khan Younis, the Palestinian Red Crescent said a strike near its Al-Amal Hospital killed at least 10 people and wounded another 12. Much of the city’s population has left, but many are sheltering near Al-Amal and another hospital, hoping they will be spared from the bombardment. A strike Thursday evening destroyed a residential building in the town of Rafah, at the southernmost end of Gaza, killing at least 23 people, according to the media office of the nearby Al-Kuwaiti Hospital said. Outside of Gaza, Israeli security forces shot and killed a Palestinian man who they say got out of his car and stabbed two security workers at a checkpoint between the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The security workers were in moderate condition, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service. The occupied West Bank has experienced a surge in violence since Oct. 7, with more than 300 Palestinians killed in unrest and clashes with Israeli forces. ANOTHER WAVE OF DISPLACEMENT Rami Abu Mosab, who lives in the Bureij refugee camp, said thousands of people have fled their homes in recent days because of the intense bombardment. He plans to remain there because nowhere in Gaza is safe. “Here is death and there is death,” he said, “To die in your home is better.” Bureij and Nuseirat are among several camps across the region that were built to house hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation. They have since grown into crowded residential neighborhoods. Some 700,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes during that conflict, an exodus the Palestinians refer to as the Nakba, or catastrophe. Some 1.9 million have been displaced within Gaza since Oct. 7. As Israel has broadened its offensive, fleeing Palestinians have packed into areas along the Egyptian border and the southern Mediterranean coastline, where shelters and tent camps are overflowing. Even in those areas, Israel continues to strike what it says are militant targets. Also read: Egypt floats ambitious plan to end Israel-Hamas war and create transitional Palestinian government The U.N. humanitarian office said the scale and intensity of the fighting impedes its aid deliveries. The office, known as OCHA, cited blocked roads, a scarcity of fuel and telecommunications blackouts as some of the obstacles hampering the humanitarian response. Still, it said the U.N. World Food Program provided food parcels to about a half-million people in U.N. shelters in southern and central Gaza since Saturday. The Israeli military blames the high civilian death toll on Hamas, which positions fighters, tunnels and rocket launchers in dense residential areas. But the military rarely comments on individual strikes. Israel's offensive in Gaza has already been one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. More than 21,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. Another 55,600 have been wounded, it says. Those counts do not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The military says it has killed thousands of militants, without presenting evidence, and that 167 of its soldiers have been killed and hundreds wounded in the ground offensive.

More than half a million people in Gaza — a quarter of the population — are starving due to "woefully insufficient" quantities of food entering the territory ever since Israel's military responded to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, according to a report released Thursday by the U.N. and other agencies. The report highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Gaza after more than 10 weeks of relentless bombardment and fighting. The extent of the population's hunger eclipsed even the near-famines in Afghanistan and Yemen of recent years, according to figures in the report. "It doesn't get any worse,'' said Arif Husain, chief economist for the U.N.'s World Food Program. "I have never seen something at the scale that is happening in Gaza. And at this speed. How quickly it has happened, in just a matter of two months." Israel says it is in the final stages of clearing out Hamas militants from northern Gaza, but that months of fighting lie ahead in the south. The war sparked by Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 rampage and hostage-taking in Israel has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians. Some 1.9 million Gaza residents — more than 80% of the population — have been driven from their homes, with more than a million now cramming into U.N. shelters. The war has also pushed Gaza's health sector into collapse. Only nine of its 36 health facilities are still partially functioning — and all are located in the south, the World Health Organization said. WHO relief workers on Thursday reported "unbearable" scenes in two hospitals they visited in northern Gaza: bedridden patients with untreated wounds cry out for water, the few remaining doctors and nurses have no supplies, and bodies are lined up in the courtyard. Türkiye's Erdogan, Egypt's Sisi call for efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza Bombardment and fighting continued Thursday, but with Gaza's internet and other communications cut off for a second straight day, details on the latest violence could largely not be confirmed. U.N. Security Council members are negotiating an Arab-sponsored resolution to halt the fighting in some way to allow for an increase in desperately needed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. A vote on the resolution, first scheduled for Monday, was pushed back again on Wednesday in the hopes of getting the U.S. to support it or allow it to pass after it vetoed an earlier cease-fire call. Thursday's report from the U.N. underscored the failure of weeks of U.S. efforts to ensure greater aid reaches Palestinians. At the start of the war, Israel stopped all deliveries of food, water, medicine and fuel into the territory. After U.S. pressure, it began allowing a trickle of aid in through Egypt, but U.N. agencies say it fell far short of enough. This week, Israel began allowing aid to be delivered through its Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. But a blast Thursday morning hit the Palestinian side of the crossing, forcing the U.N. to stop its pickups of aid there, according to Juliette Touma, spokesperson of UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. At least four people were killed, the nearby hospital reported. Palestinian authorities blamed Israel for the blast, but its cause could not immediately be confirmed. Delivery of aid to much of the Gaza Strip has become difficult or impossible due to continued fighting, U.N. officials have said. US is engaging in high-level diplomacy to avoid vetoing a UN resolution on critical aid for Gaza The report released Thursday by 23 U.N and nongovernmental agencies found that the entire population in Gaza is in a food crisis, with 576,600 at catastrophic — or starvation — levels. "It is a situation where pretty much everybody in Gaza is hungry," Husain, the World Food Program economist, said. The lack of food and water weakens immune systems, making the population more vulnerable to disease, Husain said. "People are very, very close to large outbreaks of disease because their immune systems have become so weak because they don't have enough nourishment," he said. Husain said border crossings need to be operational to get in essential supplies, including food and water. And he said that humanitarian groups need safe access to the entire Gaza strip. Israel has vowed to continue the offensive until it destroys Hamas' military capabilities and returns scores of hostages captured by Palestinian militants during their Oct. 7 rampage. Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people that day, mostly civilians, and captured around 240 others. Hamas fired a large barrage of rockets at central Israel on Thursday, showing its military capabilities remain formidable. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, but the rocket attack set off air raid sirens in Israel's commercial hub of Tel Aviv. Hamas militants have put up stiff resistance lately against Israeli ground troops, and its forces appear to remain largely intact in southern Gaza, despite more than 2 1/2 months of heavy aerial bombardment across the territory. The United States, Israel's closest ally, has continued to support Israel's campaign while also urging greater efforts to protect civilians. But in some of the toughest American language yet, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said "it's clear that the conflict will move and needs to move to a lower intensity phase." The U.S. wants Israel to shift to more targeted operations aimed at Hamas leaders and the tunnel network. The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Tuesday the death toll since the start of the war had risen to more than 19,600. It does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths. Israel uncovers major Hamas command center in Gaza City as cease-fire talks gain momentum On Wednesday, the WHO delivered supplies a day earlier to Ahli and Shifa hospitals, which are located in the heart of the north Gaza battle zone where Israeli troops have demolished vast swaths of the city while fighting Hamas militants. In the north over recent weeks, Israeli forces have raided a series of health facilities, detaining men for interrogation and expelling others. In other facilities, patients who are unable to be moved remain along with skeleton staff who watch over them but can do little beyond first aid, according to U.N. and health officials Ahli Hospital is "a place where people are waiting to die," said Sean Casey, a member of the WHO team that visited the two hospitals Wednesday. Five remaining doctors and five nurses along with around 80 patients remain in Ahli, he said. All of the hospital buildings are damaged except two buildings were patients are now being kept — the orthopedics ward and a church on the grounds, he said. He described entering the compound, strewn with debris, and a crater from recent shelling in the courtyard. Bodies were lined up nearby, but doctors said it was too unsafe to move them with fighting still outside, he said. Inside the church, it was "an unbearable scene," he said. Patients with traumatic wounds were struggling with infections. Others had undergone amputations. "Many patients said they hadn't changed their clothes in weeks," he said. "Patients were crying out in pain but were also crying out for us to give them water." Israel's military says 137 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza ground offensive. Israel says it has killed some 7,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas, saying it uses them as human shields when it fights in residential areas.

Israel has to stop killing children and women in Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron has told the BBC.During an exclusive interview, Macron said that there was "no justification" for the attack, adding that Israel would gain from a ceasefire. While acknowledging Israel's right to self-defense, he said, "We do urge them to stop this bombing" in Gaza.However, he also emphasised that France "clearly condemns" Hamas' "terrorist" activities, the report said. Thousands who were sheltering at Gaza City’s hospitals flee as Israel-Hamas war closes inLike Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Western countries, France views Hamas as a terrorist group.When asked about whether he wanted other world leaders to support his demands for a ceasefire, including those in the US and the UK, Macron said, "I hope they will." Civilians flee north Gaza or shelter at a hospital as Israel and Hamas battle in the cityFollowing almost two weeks of main ground incursion into the territory and a month of Israeli shelling, the health ministry headed by Hamas in Gaza said on Friday that 11,078 Palestinians had died and 1.5 million had left their homes.Israel claimed that it followed international law when attacking military targets and that it takes precautions to lessen the number of civilian deaths by alerting civilians in advance and urging them to flee.Speaking a day after a conference in Paris on humanitarian aid related to the Gaza conflict, Macron stated that all participating governments and agencies had reached the "clear conclusion" that there is “no other solution than first a humanitarian pause, going to a ceasefire, which will allow [us] to protect... all civilians having nothing to do with terrorists.""De facto — today, civilians are bombed — de facto. These babies, these ladies, these old people are bombed and killed. So there is no reason for that and no legitimacy. So we do urge Israel to stop," the French president said.Macron, however, stated it was not for him to determine whether or not international law had been breached. Fights in bread lines, despair in shelters: War threatens to unravel Gaza's close-knit society

India’s Congress Party has been criticised for its statement on the Israel-Hamas war. Over 3,000 people have been killed in the most recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. The Congress denounced the attacks on the Israeli people on Sunday (October 08, 2023), noting that violence never solves anything, reports NDTV. After Hamas fired 5,000 rockets from Gaza into Israel, a full-fledged conflict broke out. Also read: Palestinians scramble for safety as Israel pounds sealed-off Gaza Strip to punish Hamas The Congress Working Committee (CWC), voiced "dismay and anguish" over the conflict and reiterated its support for the Palestinian people's right to "land (and) self-government, and to live with dignity and respect". Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that his party has always maintained that the genuine aspirations of the Palestinian people must be met through dialogue while safeguarding Israeli national security concerns, the report said. Also read: What to know on fifth day of latest Israel-Palestinian war The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the statement, claiming that Congress was “supporting Hamas”. The BJP accused the opposition of being a "hostage to minority vote bank politics" and of sponsoring terrorism, it added. "Congress' CWC resolution on the Israel war is a classic example of how Indian foreign policy was hostage to Congress' minority vote bank politics, until Modi happened," BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said, adding "A reminder of how quickly things will go back to zero if we aren't vigilant in 2024." Also read: Israel-Hamas war: Humanitarian groups scrambling to assist civilians Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strongly denounced the acts and stated unequivocally that India stands with Israel. The war's total death toll has surpassed 3,000, and Israel's military has announced the construction of a base for thousands of soldiers in preparation for the next phase of reprisal. Late Monday, Hamas warned it was ready to execute captives it had captured if Israel attacked.