Status: 27.10.2023, 07:54 a.m.
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Israel and Hamas are still fighting each other: smoke rises after an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip. © Francisco Seco/AP/dpa
In the Gaza war between Israel and the Hamas Islamists, calls for humanitarian ceasefires are growing louder. So far, aid deliveries to the people in the Gaza Strip have resembled a trickle. The News.
Tel Aviv/Gaza - As the Israeli military continues the massive bombardment of the Gaza Strip in preparation for a ground offensive against the Islamist Hamas attackers, the role of the United States appears to be becoming increasingly important.
Not only is the US increasing its military presence in the Middle East, but warnings are also being sent directly to Washington. In addition, international discussions continue about aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.
UN: Aid deliveries to Gaza are not enough
According to the UN Office for Emergency Relief (OCHA), aid deliveries to the coastal enclave on the Mediterranean Sea, which has been sealed off by Israel, are far from sufficient to supply the more than 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip. From Saturday to Tuesday, 62 trucks arrived with relief supplies such as drinking water, food and medical supplies. Most of it has already been distributed.
Israel's military has so far not allowed the delivery of urgently needed fuel, despite numerous requests, it said. The Israeli side fears that Hamas could misuse the fuel for terrorist purposes and accuses it of depriving the people of the Gaza Strip of its own fuel reserves.
U.S. backs limited ceasefire
In a summit resolution, the states of the European Union (EU) call for ceasefires and protected corridors for aid deliveries to the suffering civilian population in Gaza. The U.S. government has also spoken out in favor of considering limited humanitarian ceasefires in the Gaza war. "These are localized, time-limited, specific pauses on the battlefield to allow humanitarian aid to reach those in need or for people to leave the area in relative safety," said National Security Council communications director John Kirby.
Relief efforts for people in Gaza continue
Egypt, meanwhile, is building a field hospital near the Gaza border to treat Palestinian wounded. This is being built behind a state hospital in the village of Sheikh Suwaid, an Egyptian government representative told the German Press Agency.
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Fighting continues on both sides
The Israeli military, meanwhile, continues the fight against Hamas. Main battle tanks made another temporary advance into the northern Gaza Strip yesterday, while the air force continued to bomb Hamas positions. An Israeli ground offensive has been expected for some time.
During the heavy airstrikes, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip continued to attack Israeli settlements with rockets. According to Israeli figures, they have fired around 8000,<> rockets at Israel since the beginning of the war. Most of these are intercepted by Israel's missile defense system.
U.S. strengthens military presence in the Middle East
Meanwhile, the U.S. military has deployed around 900 troops to the Middle East in response to the Gaza war. They will not be sent to Israel, but should support units already in the region, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said on Thursday. To deter regional actors, the U.S. has already deployed several warships and warplanes to the eastern Mediterranean, and U.S. troops have been put on heightened operational readiness.
Iran warns Washington
Iran's foreign minister warned the US against direct involvement in the conflict. If the "genocide in Gaza continues, they will not be spared from this fire," Hussein Amirabdollahian said, according to a transcript of his speech at a special session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
"I say quite frankly to the American statesmen and armed forces who are now handling the genocide in Palestine that we do not welcome the expansion and scale of the war in the region."
Israel, for its part, condemned a meeting between Russian diplomats and Hamas representatives in Moscow. "We call on the Russian government to immediately expel the Hamas terrorists," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said.
The senior Hamas officials have on their hands the blood of 1400,<> killed Israelis "who were slaughtered, murdered, executed and burned." Russia's Foreign Ministry had earlier said that diplomats in Moscow were talking to Hamas representatives about the release of foreign hostages, among other things.
What is becoming important today
In Brussels, EU leaders will continue their deliberations on the second last day of their summit. Israel may comment on the EU's demands for ceasefires. Meanwhile, two more flights are scheduled to take off with EU aid supplies for Gaza. Dpa