Amid efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza, the Israeli military continues to obliterate Hamas strongholds in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah bases in Lebanon. On Wednesday, IDF soldiers executed a massive airstrike in Gaza Strip, devastating numerous Hamas bases. Following Gaza, the Israeli military targeted a Hezbollah base in Lebanon, destroying several military sites.
In retaliation to the Israeli strikes, rockets were also launched from Lebanon. Numerous rockets landed in northern Israel near the Lebanese border and many were intercepted by the Israeli military. Amid these attacks, famine-like conditions have arisen in Gaza. The region, distressed by food shortages, is rapidly receiving international aid to provide relief to the people of Gaza. On Wednesday, France air-dropped relief materials into Gaza by parachute.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the absence of food and water has led to the death of 15 children. The region of Rafa, previously considered safe, is now on the brink of starvation. Here, people wander desperately for food; some only managing bread, others only lentils. The populace's greatest fear is dying of hunger if the war persists. They claim to be fighting a war not just against bullets, but against starvation and thirst.
The people of Gaza are devastated by the war. Now, lives are being lost to hunger rather than gunfire. Since the war commenced on October 7, over 31,000 Palestinians have perished, with thousands more injured. However, there seems to be no end in sight to the conflict. Nevertheless, efforts to establish a ceasefire before the upcoming Ramadan are intensifying. Hamas has rejected a 6-week ceasefire, demanding a permanent halt to hostilities instead.
During the Arab League meeting in Cairo, the issue of a ceasefire in Gaza was addressed, urging Israel to immediately cease attacks on Gaza and to send more humanitarian aid to the region. The United States, Qatar, and Egypt proposed an agreement demanding Hamas release 40 hostages in exchange for a 6-week ceasefire, and in return, Israel would release some Palestinian prisoners and send aid.
Source: aajtak
Hamas leader Osama Hamdan dismissed the 6-week truce for a permanent ceasefire and a "full withdrawal" of Israeli forces. This led to the meetings in Egypt and Qatar being inconclusive, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected Hamas's demands for a complete ceasefire, declaring to continue the war until Hamas is completely defeated and all hostages are released.
The coming week anticipates Ramadan, and with it, renewed efforts to establish a ceasefire in Gaza. In this regard, Lebanon's acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati has appealed for an end to the war at the Lebanese-Israeli border and an early ceasefire in Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed in Ankara, Turkey's capital, to put an end to Israeli cruelty and the genocide of Palestinians.
