Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, as hospitals in the territory reported dozens of casualties. Health officials in Gaza said 24 people were killed and 54 wounded in multiple strikes across the enclave, according to the Associated Press. Shifa Hospital in Gaza City reported that 11 people were killed and more than 20 were wounded in the Rimal neighborhood.
Israel said the strikes came after gunfire targeted Israeli troops near the border.
The attacks unfolded as a tenuous cease-fire continued to face repeated violations. On Monday, the United Nations Security Council convened in New York to address the new escalation, urging both Israel and Hamas to uphold the truce. Council members also reiterated support for a U.S.-backed 20-point proposal aimed at ending the conflict and securing the release of the remaining hostages.
U.N. officials said the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical as winter approaches. Ramiz Alakbarov, the U.N.’s deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the Council in a video briefing that renewed airstrikes and continued attacks on Israeli forces “risk undermining the fragile detente.” He said the U.N. is working to expand humanitarian operations but warned that “the picture remains bleak,” describing widespread physical, economic and social devastation.
The Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine told the Council that Palestinians are continuing to be killed and displaced despite the cease-fire. He said Israel is seeking to collapse the truce and warned that “there is no Palestine without Gaza,” calling the territory “the bleeding heart of Palestine.” He urged Israel to withdraw from Gaza and said Palestinians must have a clear path to statehood.
Israel’s delegate rejected those assertions, saying Hamas had killed Israeli soldiers during the truce and failed to return hostages under previously agreed-upon terms. The delegate said Israel had facilitated more than 800 aid trucks a day into Gaza over the past week and was meeting its obligations under international law.
“Israel will not hesitate to neutralize immediate threats to our citizens and our soldiers,” the delegate said, adding that Hamas must be disarmed and prevented from rebuilding its capabilities.
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