UN lowers flag to pay tribute to 101 staff killed in Gaza
Flags were lowered to half-mast at the United Nations headquarters in New York and other UN buildings worldwide in honour of the 101 employees and support staff who died in Gaza while working for the UNRWA, the organisation that provides aid to Palestine refugees.
Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, and other top officials performed a minute of silence.
(UN Photo)
Gaza's main hospital evacuated, hundreds trapped including children, amidst fighting
Fighting between Israel and Hamas near hospitals had driven hundreds of Palestinians from some of the last areas in northern Gaza that were thought to be safe, leaving severely injured patients, babies, and their carers without electricity as well as running out of supplies, health officials reported on Monday.
Both sides have used the dire situation of hospitals as a symbol for the wider conflict, which is currently in its sixth week, as Israeli soldiers are engaged in battle in the heart of Gaza City, the territory's main city.
Without presenting any visual evidence, Israel charges that Hamas has established its main command centre in and beneath Shifa, the biggest hospital in Gaza and that it exploits hospitals as a cover for its fighters. The employees of Shifa Hospital and Hamas reject the Israeli allegations.
Biden Emphasizes Shifa Hospital "Must Be Protected"
On Monday, President Joe Biden demanded that Israeli soldiers use "less intrusive action" and stated that the biggest hospital in Gaza "must be protected."
The vast medical centre has been surrounded by fighting between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants, forcing thousands of people to flee.
Three days have passed since Shifa Hospital lost power and water, and the situation has gotten worse due to explosions and gunshots outside the compound.
Biden said, “It is my hope and expectation that there will be less intrusive action,” in the Oval Office.
(Representative Image)
Regarding how Israel conducts military operations surrounding the hospital, Sullivan stated that while there were no simple answers, these were matters best left to the Israeli military, not the US one.
“We do not want to see firefights in hospitals,” said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan at a briefing. “We want to see patients protected. We want to see hospitals protected. We have spoken with the Israeli government about this and they have said they share that view that they do not want to see firefights in hospitals.”
IDF discovers Gaza hospital used for hostage detention and identifies abducted soldier
The Israeli military claimed to have found weapons that Hamas had been keeping in the basement of a children's hospital in Gaza on Monday, sharing images and footage of the operation. It also stated that hostages appeared to have been kept there.
Tuesday saw the Israeli military confirm the name of a soldier held captive by Hamas, following the release of a video depicting a woman in captivity by the group's armed wing.
The soldier was seen in a video released by Hamas' Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades on Monday night, allegedly reading a statement in Hebrew in which she claimed to have been held in Gaza for four days and gave her name and identity card number.
"An IDF (Israel Defense Forces) representative came to the family's home and informed them of the video's publication," the army statement said.
According to Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israel military, troops discovered a command centre in the basement of Rantissi Hospital, a paediatric hospital that specialises in treating cancer patients, where Hamas militants had stored an arsenal of weapons, including suicide vests, grenades, and other explosives. Hagari stated during a live briefing, "And we also found signs that indicate that Hamas held hostages here." “This is currently under our investigation. But we also have intelligence that verifies it.”
(Photo: AP/ Reuters)
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