Israel-Hamas war live: Hamas reports clashes with IDF in north and south Gaza; aid plan ‘geared to fail’ without political will, says UN - The Guardian

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Reuters: Hamas said its militants fired machine guns and anti-tank missiles toward Israeli forces in north and south Gaza early on Tuesday as Israel’s tanks and infantry attacked the enclave’s main city, raising concerns about the plight of Palestinian civilians.

Israel has expanded ground operations in Gaza as it seeks to punish Hamas for a deadly gun rampage three weeks ago that Israeli authorities say killed over 1,400 people.

Witnesses said Israeli forces targeted Gaza’s main north-south road on Monday and attacked Gaza City from two directions.

The al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Gaza’s ruling Hamas movement, said militants clashed early on Tuesday with Israeli forces “invading the southern Gaza axis, (including) with machine guns, and targeted four vehicles with al-Yassin 105 missiles,” referring to locally produced anti-tank missiles.

The militants also targeted two Israeli tanks and bulldozers in northwest Gaza with the missiles, al-Qassam said.

Neither Reuters nor the Guardian were able to confirm the reports of fighting. Israel’s military had no immediate comment.

In an operational update a short while ago, IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said that Israel’s military is “striking in all parts of the Gaza strip”.

Gaza health authorities say that 8,306 people including 3,457 minors have been killed in Israeli attacks since 7 October. UN officials say more than 1.4 million of Gaza’s civilian population of about 2.3 million have been made homeless.

Israel would be “ramping up” humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza strip, Conricus added.

Associated Press: The Israel-Hamas war is spilling into Syria, fueled by growing instability, violence and a lack of progress toward a political solution to its 12-year conflict, the United Nations special envoy for the country said Monday.

Geir Pedersen told the Security Council that, on top of violence from the Syrian conflict, the Syrian people now face “a terrifying prospect of a potential wider escalation” following Hamas’ 7 October attacks on Israel and the ongoing retaliatory military action.

“Spillover into Syria is not just a risk; it has already begun,” the UN envoy for Syria said.

Pedersen pointed to airstrikes attributed to Israel hitting Syria’s airports in Aleppo and Damascus several times, and retaliation by the United States against what it said were multiple attacks on its forces “by groups that it claims are backed by Iran, including on Syrian territory.”

With the region “at its most dangerous and tense,” he said, “fuel is being added to a tinderbox that was already beginning to ignite” in Syria, which was seeing a surge in violence even before 7 October.

The United Nations has said “there is already clear evidence that war crimes may have been committed” by Hamas and the Israeli military since 7 October and that it is gathering evidence for potential prosecutions.

All parties involved in the conflict are governed by a body of law drawn from a system of conventions, treaties and war crimes tribunal rulings known as “international humanitarian law” or the “law of armed conflict”.

The law has two key elements. The protection of non-combatants such as civilians or soldiers who have surrendered, and restrictions on the type of warfare employed by a belligerent.

The rules are rooted in treaties going back to the 19th century but these days the law is built around the 1949 Geneva conventions signed after crimes against humanity committed in the second world war, with a new focus on the protection of civilians. Additional protocols have been added over the years covering the use of certain types of weapons.

There is also case law from various international tribunals, such as the international criminal tribunal that tried the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide of 800,000 Tutsis in Rwanda, which was the first to rule that rape had been used as a weapon of war and genocide.

Israel has not ratified certain protocols in the conventions covering areas such as collective punishments, but the US and other countries regard these provisions as having entered customary international law and therefore binding on all states:

On Monday, the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, urged the divided UN security council to come together, saying “the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is growing more dire by the day”.

After the rejection of four previous resolutions in the 15-member security council – one vetoed by the US, one vetoed by Russia and China, and two for failing to get the minimum nine yes votes – Arab nations last Friday went to the UN general assembly where there are no vetoes.

The 193-member world body adopted a resolution calling for humanitarian truces leading to a cessation of hostilities by a vote of 120-14 with 45 abstentions.

The security council has since been trying to negotiate a resolution that will not be rejected. While its resolutions are legally binding, assembly resolutions are not, though they are an important measure of world opinion.

In a sign of increasing US concern at the escalating Palestinian death toll, Thomas-Greenfield told the council that Biden had reiterated to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, “that while Israel has the right and responsibility to defend its citizens from terrorism, it must do so in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law”:

The al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said it fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli forces early on Tuesday, adding that troops were “invading the southern Gaza axis”. Hamas said it also targeted two Israeli tanks and bulldozers in north-west Gaza with missiles.

Israel has expanded ground operations in Gaza over recent days, advancing on Gaza City from two directions, with tanks reported to be on the main north-south road in an apparent effort to cut the strip into two.

Gaza health authorities say that 8,306 people including 3,457 minors have been killed in Israeli attacks since Hamas launched terrorist raids into Israel on 7 October, killing more than 1,400 people and taking 240 hostages. UN officials say more than 1.4 million of Gaza’s civilian population of about 2.3 million have been made homeless.

Thailand’s foreign minister begins an urgent visit to Qatar and Egypt on Tuesday for talks on the fate of 22 Thais taken hostage by Hamas in its October 7 attack on Israel, AFP reports.

More than 230 hostages are being held by Hamas in Gaza, according to the latest Israeli figures - 22 of them Thai nationals, the foreign ministry in Bangkok has said.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Monday his government was working hard to get Thai citizens home.

He has dispatched foreign minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara to meet the Qatari prime minister and foreign minister on Tuesday, before talks with the Egyptian foreign minister on Wednesday.

Parnpree will “discuss the situation of Thai nationals being held hostage as a result of the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza”, the ministry said in a statement.

The US has dismissed Russian claims that the west was behind an antisemitic riot in Dagestan.

President Vladimir Putin had accused Ukraine and “agents of western special services” after a mob descended on Makhachkala airport in Russia’s North Caucasus on Sunday evening in search of Jewish passengers on a plane that arrived from Israel.

At a White House briefing, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: “Classic Russian rhetoric, when something goes bad in your country, you blame somebody else.”

“The west had nothing to do with this. This is just hate, bigotry and intimidation, pure and simple,” Kirby said.

A few moments ago, the IDF posted photos of what it says are ground forces in the Gaza strip. Israel has expanded ground operations in Gaza.

The below Tweet is captioned “The ground activity of the IDF forces in the Gaza Strip”.

While this post is captioned, “Commander of the Southern Command assessing the situation in the Gaza Strip”:

Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a ceasefire in Gaza, declaring “this is a time for war”. In a press conference conducted in English on Monday, the Israeli prime minister said the army’s advance through Gaza opened opportunities to free hostages, which he said Hamas would do only under pressure.

More than 8,000 Palestinians have already been killed in Israel’s attack on Gaza, the majority of them women and children. At least 3,200 children have been killed in just over three weeks of Israeli strikes on Gaza.

Here is our video report on what appears to be an IDF advance on Gaza City from two sides:

Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general for the UN relief and works agency (UNRWA), has accused Israel of “collective punishment” of the people of Gaza and said that the current aid system is “geared to fail”.

“The system in place to allow aid into Gaza is geared to fail unless there is political will to make the flow of supplies meaningful, matching the unprecedented humanitarian needs,” Lazzarini said, calling for the Security Council to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

According to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, 33 trucks carrying water, food and medical supplies entered Gaza through Rafah on Sunday.

Prior to the war, some 500 trucks carrying aid and other goods entered Gaza every day.

Reuters: Hamas said its militants fired machine guns and anti-tank missiles toward Israeli forces in north and south Gaza early on Tuesday as Israel’s tanks and infantry attacked the enclave’s main city, raising concerns about the plight of Palestinian civilians.

Israel has expanded ground operations in Gaza as it seeks to punish Hamas for a deadly gun rampage three weeks ago that Israeli authorities say killed over 1,400 people.

Witnesses said Israeli forces targeted Gaza’s main north-south road on Monday and attacked Gaza City from two directions.

The al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Gaza’s ruling Hamas movement, said militants clashed early on Tuesday with Israeli forces “invading the southern Gaza axis, (including) with machine guns, and targeted four vehicles with al-Yassin 105 missiles,” referring to locally produced anti-tank missiles.

The militants also targeted two Israeli tanks and bulldozers in northwest Gaza with the missiles, al-Qassam said.

Neither Reuters nor the Guardian were able to confirm the reports of fighting. Israel’s military had no immediate comment.

This is the Guardian’s live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war with me, Helen Sullivan.

The top developments this morning: Hamas said its militants fired machine guns and anti-tank missiles toward Israeli forces in north and south Gaza early on Tuesday as Israel’s tanks and infantry attacked the enclave’s main city, raising concerns about the plight of Palestinian civilians.

And Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general for the UN relief and works agency (UNRWA), has accused Israel of “collective punishment” of the people of Gaza and said that the current aid system is “geared to fail”.

“The system in place to allow aid into Gaza is geared to fail unless there is political will to make the flow of supplies meaningful, matching the unprecedented humanitarian needs,” Lazzarini said, calling for the Security Council to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

According to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, 33 trucks carrying water, food and medical supplies entered Gaza through Rafah on Sunday.

Prior to the war, some 500 trucks carrying aid and other goods entered Gaza every day.

Elsewhere:

• Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a ceasefire in Gaza, declaring “this is a time for war”. In a press conference conducted in English on Monday, the Israeli prime minister said the army’s advance through Gaza opened opportunities to free hostages, which he said Hamas would do only under pressure.

• Nearly 70% of those reported killed in Gaza are children and women, said the UNRWA chief. The head of the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees has warned that the level of destruction across Gaza “is unprecedented, the human tragedy unfolding under our watch is unbearable”. Philippe Lazzarini, addressing the UN security council on Monday, said nearly 3,200 children have been killed in Gaza in three weeks, citing figures by the territory’s health ministry.

• The US does not believe a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is “the right answer” right now, the White House’s national security council spokesperson said. “We believe that a ceasefire right now benefits Hamas, and Hamas is the only one that would gain from that right now,” John Kirby said on Monday.

• US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged the Security Council to call “for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, address the immense humanitarian needs of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, affirm Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorism, and remind all actors that international humanitarian law must be respected.” She reiterated President Joe Biden’s call for humanitarian pauses to get hostages out, allow aid in, and safe passage for civilians.

• Hamas has released a video of three Israeli hostages in Gaza in an apparent effort to increase the pressure on Netanyahu’s government. Netanyahu’s office named the hostages as Daniel Aloni, Rimon Kirsht and Elena Trupanov. Their families held a press conference in Tel Aviv urging the Red Cross to demand to see all of the hostages held in Gaza, and for the US president, Joe Biden, to “do any and everything in your power to bring everyone home”.

• An Israeli soldier captured by Hamas has been rescued from Gaza in an overnight operation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. Ori Megidish, an army private, was freed on Sunday night, three weeks after she was abducted with more than 220 other hostages. After a medical check declared her healthy she was reunited with her family.

• Israeli forces appear to be advancing on Gaza City in two directions. In the north of the Gaza Strip, Israeli armour was operating close to the Mediterranean coast. Witness reports described Israeli tanks cutting the main north-south Salah al-Din road south of Gaza City and operating on the outskirts of the Zaytun district and Shejaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City. The cutting of the key road, if confirmed, would suggest that Israeli forces are attempting to cut off Gaza City from the south, effectively isolating and laying siege to the urban sprawl that extends north all the way to Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia.

• A total of 26 trucks containing food supplies and medical equipment have passed through the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip, the Palestine Red Crescent said on Monday. Just 144 trucks have delivered supplies to the Palestinian humanitarian organisation since 7 October, it said.

• Hundreds of patients are trapped inside al-Quds hospital in northern Gaza amid intense constant bombardment around the hospital, ActionAid warned. More than 12,000 displaced people are taking shelter in the hospital’s corridors and courtyards in addition to hundreds of patients who would not survive the journey south, it said.

• The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continued to worsen, with insufficient water, food, medicine and fuel, aid agencies said. The international criminal court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, said impeding aid could constitute a war crime and urged Israel to allow more trucks to enter.

• The deepening IDF incursion into Gaza came amid dwindling Israeli public enthusiasm for a prolonged occupation. Support has fallen from 65% on 10 October to 46% now, according to a study by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which has monitored the same sample of 1,774 people, with a 4.2% margin of error.

• Israeli forces struck targets in Syria and Lebanon, in response to launches from those areas into Israel, the military said. In separate tweets, the IDF said an aircraft had attacked Hezbollah targets in Lebanese territory, including “infrastructures for directing terrorism and military infrastructures of the organisation”, and that a fighter jet had attacked launchers in Syrian territory.

• Israel said it carried out an operation to “thwart terrorist infrastructure in the Jenin refugee camp” in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which it claimed led to 51 people being arrested, of which it claimed 38 were operatives of Hamas.

• The family of Shani Louk, a 22-year-old German-Israeli woman initially believed to have been kidnapped alive during Hamas’s assault on a music festival in Re’im, have said she died.

• Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Monday introduced a plan to provide $14.3bn in aid to Israel by cutting funding for the Internal Revenue Service, setting up a showdown with Democrats who control the Senate.

• A Palestinian stabbed and seriously wounded an Israeli police officer before being shot dead in annexed East Jerusalem, close to the green line. Guardian correspondents about 200 metres from where the shooting took place heard two bursts of gunfire in quick succession and saw armed police, horses and sharp shooters on motorbikes converging on a nearby petrol station.

• The Kremlin has said a mob that stormed a Dagestan airport in search of Jewish passengers from Israel on Sunday did so due to “outside influence”. The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said “ill-wishers” had used widely seen images of suffering in Gaza to stir up feeling in the predominantly Muslim region in the north Caucasus. Local health authorities said 20 people were injured in the incident in Makhachkala.

• A British Conservative MP, Paul Bristow, has been sacked from his government job after breaking ranks to publicly urge Rishi Sunak to back a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

• A man accused of murder, attempted murder and a hate crime in an attack on a Palestinian American boy and his mother pleaded not guilty on Monday after his indictment by an Illinois grand jury. Joseph Czuba, 71, is charged in the fatal stabbing of six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume and the wounding of his mother, Hanaan Shahin, on 14 October. Authorities said the victims were targeted because of their Muslim faith.

• Civil rights groups in the US have warned of a “wave of McCarthyite backlash” against criticism of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza after Americans expressing support for the Palestinians have been sacked, faced threats of violence and hounded by pro-Israel groups.

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Israel-Hamas war live: Hamas reports clashes with IDF in north and south Gaza; aid plan ‘geared to fail’ without political will, says UN - The Guardian
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