Several displaced Palestinians have gathered at the seashore, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. As Israeli forces continue to clash with Hamas in southern and central Gaza, Palestinians are forced out of their homes. Health officials reported at least 17 deaths from strikes on Tuesday.
Ceasefire discussions in Cairo are ongoing, however there are no signs of significant progress. Key issues such as control over two Gaza Strip corridors post-conflict are yet to be resolved.
Recently, Israel issued multiple evacuation orders across Gaza, the highest number since the war began 10 months ago. This has led to protests from Palestinians, the United Nations, and relief agencies about reduced humanitarian zones and safe areas.
In Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah, residents and displaced families have been forced to live in tents on the beach.
Aya, a 30-year-old displaced woman from Gaza City now living in Deir Al-Balah, remarked on the dire situation, questioning whether negotiators understand the daily loss of lives due to Israeli bombings.
Palestinian health officials reported that Israeli strikes killed nine people in Bureij and Maghazi, two Gaza refugee camps, five in Khan Younis, and three in Rafah. Over 40,400 Palestinians have died in the conflict, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The densely populated area is devastated, with most of its 2.3 million residents repeatedly displaced. They are facing severe shortages of food and medicine, humanitarian groups report.
UN AID OPERATIONS HALTED
On Monday, United Nations aid operations in Gaza ceased after Israel issued a new evacuation order for Deir Al-Balah. Deir Al-Balah is where the U.N. operations centre is located.
This order has disrupted the U.N.’s planned vaccination campaign for 640,000 children against polio.
Negotiators in Cairo are striving to end the conflict and secure the release of 109 Israeli and foreign hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. While the United States, Egypt, and Qatar are supporting the talks, there is blame on both Hamas and Israel for the lack of progress.
One major issue is Israel’s demand to maintain control over the Philadelphi corridor along the Egypt border. It claims that this passage is a primary smuggling route for weapons into Gaza.
Israel also seeks to monitor movement from southern and central Gaza into northern areas via the Netzarim corridor to prevent armed fighters from advancing north.
(With inputs from Reuters)
