Palestinian death toll reaches 9,277
Since October 7, at least 9,227 Palestinians—including 3,826 children—have died in Israeli strikes on Gaza, according to a statement released on Friday by the health ministry in the region, governed by Hamas.
UN rights office expresses concern about the West Bank situation
The West Bank situation was deemed "alarming" by the UN rights office on Friday, which also noted that Israeli forces were increasingly employing military devices and methods in their law enforcement operations.
A spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Liz Throssell said, "While much attention has been on the attacks inside Israel and the escalation of hostilities in Gaza since the 7th of October, the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is alarming and urgent."
Blinken requests pauses in the Gaza War as Israeli forces surround the city
After Israel claimed that its forces had surrounded the largest city in the Palestinian enclave and the centre of its effort to destroy Hamas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Tel Aviv on Friday to call for humanitarian pauses in the Gaza conflict so that aid could reach.
Blinken spoke about specific measures to minimise harm to civilians in Gaza, where food, fuel, water, and medicine are running low, buildings have been demolished, and thousands of people have fled their homes in order to avoid the bombings. This is Blinken's second trip to Israel in a month.
Any fighting pauses, according to the White House, should be temporary and confined. The 28-day battle has seen requests for a complete ceasefire from the Arab world and a number of other countries, but it has dismissed them.
A ceasefire is required. Palestinians are at "grave risk of genocide": UN experts
As time ran short for the Palestinians living in Gaza, who are at "grave risk of genocide," a committee of independent UN experts demanded a humanitarian ceasefire.
Seven UN special rapporteurs comprised the expert group, stated in a statement, "We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide. We demand a humanitarian ceasefire to ensure that aid reaches those who need it the most.
Hamas is to blame for civilian casualties, according to the Israeli mission to the UN in Geneva, which called the remarks "deplorable and deeply concerning".
(Reuters)
Israeli forces surround Gaza City
According to a military official today, Israeli troops have "completed the encirclement of Gaza City, which is the focal point of the Hamas terror organisation."
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) are "killing terrorists in close combat, in any place in which fighting is required," according to IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, as reported by The Guardian.
(Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
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