Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office dismissed media reports about a supposed ceasefire with Hamas and delivering aid to Gaza in exchange for hostages on Monday, a day after UN authorities warned that they can no longer provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian enclave due to Israel’s blockade of the territory.
Palestinians, some with foreign passports hoping to cross into Egypt and others waiting for aid wait ... [+]
In a press conference on Sunday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Gaza was running out of water and electricity and “soon…there will be no food or medicine either.”
Lazzarini told the press that most of the UNRWA’s 13,000 staffers in the territory have been displaced and 14 have been killed so far.
On Monday, Haaretz reported that Israel agreed to allow aid—mostly water and medicine—to be delivered to Gaza through the Rafah crossing from Egypt in response to U.S. requests.
The report mentioned that Israel was still blocking the shipment of fuel to the territory over concerns that it would be used by Hamas to operate generators in its tunnel complexes under the enclave.
The Israeli PM’s office tweeted: “There is no ceasefire” and told the press that no deal has been struck to allow “humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the removal of foreigners.”
- That is how many Israelis are being held hostage by Hamas inside Gaza, Israel’s military said Monday.
Lazzarini said during Sunday’s press conference: “Gaza is being strangled and it seems that the world right now has lost its humanity…The answer to killing civilians cannot be to kill more civilians. Imposing a siege and bombarding civilian infrastructure in a densely populated area will not bring peace and security to the region. The siege in Gaza, the way it is imposed, is nothing else than collective punishment.”
Israel has continued to bombard parts of Gaza as it readies its military for a likely ground invasion of the enclave. In the lead-up to this Israel had ordered more than one million civilians in northern Gaza—including Gaza City—to relocate to the south. Israel’s relocation demands came under criticism from international groups with the Norwegian Refugee Council calling it a “war crime of forcible transfer.” Israel had initially set a 24-hour deadline for the evacuation but has since acknowledged that such a large movement of people will take time.
Citing unnamed foreign diplomatic sources, Haaretz reported that talks of a humanitarian deal with Hamas to ensure the safe release of hostages from Gaza have taken place over the past few days. But it is unclear if such a deal will go into effect or if it will find support within the Israeli government.
Israel began evacuating residents residing in a 2km zone along its border with Lebanon in the north on Monday after minor clashes in the region with the militant group Hezbollah. The evacuation and clashes come amidst concerns of Hezbollah opening a second front against Israel as it prepares for potential ground invasion of northern Gaza.
U.S. Citizens Stuck At Gaza-Egypt Border After Crossing Agreement Possibly Hindered By Hamas (Forbes)