UNRWA: Gaza Hostilities Continue Despite Israeli Announcement

FILE - Palestinians inspect the damage of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on Jabaliya refugee camp on the outskirts of Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Abdul Qader Sabbah, File)
FILE - Palestinians inspect the damage of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on Jabaliya refugee camp on the outskirts of Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Abdul Qader Sabbah, File)
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UNRWA: Gaza Hostilities Continue Despite Israeli Announcement

FILE - Palestinians inspect the damage of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on Jabaliya refugee camp on the outskirts of Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Abdul Qader Sabbah, File)
FILE - Palestinians inspect the damage of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on Jabaliya refugee camp on the outskirts of Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Abdul Qader Sabbah, File)

Hostilities continue in Rafah and southern Gaza despite the Israeli military's announcement on Sunday of tactical pauses in operations to allow humanitarian aid to enter, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Oslo on Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday criticized plans announced by the military to hold daily pauses in fighting along one of the main roads into the Palestinian enclave.

The pause is aimed at allowing aid trucks to reach the Israel-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, the main entry point for incoming aid, and travel safely to the Salah a-Din highway, a main north-south road, to deliver supplies to other parts of Gaza, the military said. It said the pause was being coordinated with the UN and international aid agencies.



France Calls for Immediate End to Israeli Airstrikes on Lebanon, UK Calls for Ceasefire

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) speaks with caretaker Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2024. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) speaks with caretaker Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2024. (AFP)
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France Calls for Immediate End to Israeli Airstrikes on Lebanon, UK Calls for Ceasefire

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) speaks with caretaker Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2024. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) speaks with caretaker Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2024. (AFP)

France called on Saturday for an immediate end to Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, also saying that it was opposed to any Israeli ground operation in Lebanon.

In a statement following a call with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also called on Hezbollah and Iran to refrain from any action that could destabilize the region further.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he had also spoken with Mikati on Saturday, following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut which killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

"We agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire to bring an end to the bloodshed. A diplomatic solution is the only way to restore security and stability for the Lebanese and Israeli people," Lammy said.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told Mikati Egypt rejects any violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, a presidency statement said on Saturday.

In a phone call, Sisi also said that Egypt fully supports Lebanon "in these delicate times".

The statement made no mention of Israel's killing of Nasrallah.

Egypt will send medical and humanitarian aid to Lebanon, added the statement.