Unprecedented UN Efforts to Avoid War Between Israel, Hamas in Gaza

Palestinian demonstrators carrying injured protester during clashes near east of Khan Yunis in Gaza Strip. AP
Palestinian demonstrators carrying injured protester during clashes near east of Khan Yunis in Gaza Strip. AP
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Unprecedented UN Efforts to Avoid War Between Israel, Hamas in Gaza

Palestinian demonstrators carrying injured protester during clashes near east of Khan Yunis in Gaza Strip. AP
Palestinian demonstrators carrying injured protester during clashes near east of Khan Yunis in Gaza Strip. AP

Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process is making unprecedented efforts with the Egyptian government and a number of other regional and international partners to prevent renewed hostilities in Gaza, UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said.

DiCarlo was addressing the Security Council in the monthly session on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian territories.

The session was held “in the wake of yet another series of violent escalations that threatened to plunge Gaza into war.”

She said the recurring violence “highlights the urgency” of UN and Egyptian-led efforts by Nickolay Mladenov along with regional and international partners, “to prevent another devastating outbreak of hostilities, respond to the most urgent humanitarian needs, and support intra-Palestinian reconciliation.”

She welcomed Egypt's continued efforts to facilitate Palestinian reconciliation, which is "essential for improving the situation in Gaza and also for achieving Palestinian national aspirations."

She added that the humanitarian situation in Gaza had also further deteriorated, partly due to Israel’s closing of the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza in July in response to Palestinians launching incendiary kites into its territory. Though it became operational again this month, another crossing for pedestrians has been shuttered except for humanitarian cases.

DiCarlo called on all parties to ensure that urgently needed humanitarian supplies reach the strip.

“They should not be held hostage to political and security developments,” she said.

“I also reiterate previous calls by the Special Coordinator (Mladenov) to Hamas to provide full information on the Israeli nationals who are being held in Gaza, as required by international humanitarian law.”

DiCarlo reported that the UN is increasing its capacity to better support projects in the areas of energy, water, health and job creation, which have been agreed upon by the Palestinian Authority and the international community.



Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Forces Kill 18

A Palestinian mourns a relative killed in a strike on a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza - AFP
A Palestinian mourns a relative killed in a strike on a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza - AFP
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Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Forces Kill 18

A Palestinian mourns a relative killed in a strike on a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza - AFP
A Palestinian mourns a relative killed in a strike on a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza - AFP

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli forces killed 18 people on Friday, including 10 who were waiting for aid in the south of the war-ravaged territory.

The fresh deaths came as the United Nations said nearly 800 people had been killed trying to access food in Gaza since late May, when Israel began easing a more than two-month total blockade on supplies.

UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said most of the deaths occurred near facilities operated by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, AFP reported.

"We've recorded now 798 killings, including 615 in the vicinity of the GHF sites," from the time the group's operations began in late May until July 7, Shamdasani said Friday.

An officially private effort, GHF operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and frequent reports of Israeli forces firing on people waiting to collect rations.

The UN and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives and violates basic humanitarian principles.

Responding to the UN's figures, Israel's military said it had worked to minimize "possible friction between the population and the army forces as much as possible".

"Following incidents in which harm to civilians who arrived at distribution facilities was reported, thorough examinations were conducted... and instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned," it added.

Gaza civil defense official Mohammed al-Mughayyir said that 10 people were shot by Israeli forces on Friday while waiting for supplies in the Al-Shakoush area northwest of Rafah, where there are regular reports of deadly fire on aid seekers.

- 'Extremely difficult' -

The civil defense reported six more people killed in four separate Israeli airstrikes in the area of Khan Yunis, in the south of the territory.

Two drone strikes around Gaza City in the north killed two more people, civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

There was no immediate comment on the latest strikes from the Israeli military, which has recently expanded its operations across Gaza.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency and other parties.

A Palestinian speaking to AFP from southern Gaza on condition of anonymity reported ongoing attacks and widespread devastation, with Israeli tanks seen near Khan Yunis.

"The situation remains extremely difficult in the area -- intense gunfire, intermittent airstrikes, artillery shelling, and ongoing bulldozing and destruction of displacement camps and agricultural land to the south, west and north of Al-Maslakh," an area to Khan Yunis's south, said the witness.

Israel's military said in a statement that its soldiers were operating in the area, dismantling "terrorist infrastructure sites, both above and below ground", and seizing "weapons and military equipment".

The civil defense also reported on Friday five people killed in an Israeli strike the previous night on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Jabalia al-Nazla, in northern Gaza.

Nearly all of Gaza's population has been displaced at least once during the more than 21-month war, which has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people living there.

Many have sought shelter in school buildings, but these have repeatedly come under Israeli attack, with the military often saying they were targeting Hamas militants hiding among civilians.