All the latest developments from the Israel-Hamas war.
Israel accuses UN chief of justifying terrorism
ADVERTISEMENTIsraeli officials were deeply angered on Wednesday by the comment from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel “did not occur in a vacuum,” as they believed it justified terrorism.
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen went so far as to cancel a scheduled meeting with Guterres, declaring on X that “there is no room for balance here. Hamas must be eradicated from the planet!”
Israel’s envoy to the UN, Gilad Erdan, called for Guterres’ resignation and suggested that Israel should reconsider its relationship with the international organization.
“We will refuse to grant visas to UN representatives. We have already denied one to Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths,” Erdan declared on Army Radio, accusing Guterres of supporting a massacre. “It’s time to teach them a lesson.”
Israel has historically had tense relations with the UN, accusing it of bias.
During a special Security Council meeting on the Israel-Hamas war on Tuesday, Guterres condemned the “horrifying and unprecedented” attack.
“There can be no justification for the deliberate killing, injuring, and kidnapping of civilians, or the launching of rockets against civilian targets,” Guterres said.
However, Guterres’ contextualization of the attack caused an uproar in Israel. He emphasized the importance of recognizing that “the attacks by Hamas did not occur in a vacuum.”
Israeli airstrikes hit targets in Syria
According to state media, Israeli airstrikes targeted several military sites in southern Syria on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of eight soldiers and the injury of seven others.
The airstrikes were carried out from Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and targeted the Daraa countryside, as reported by the SANA state-run news agency, citing military officials.
The Israeli military stated on X that they conducted the strikes in response to rocket launches from Syria towards Israel the previous day, hitting military infrastructure and mortar launchers of the Syrian army.
Tensions have escalated in the region since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7th.
Israel has reportedly conducted several strikes in Syria, including two on the Damascus airport and three on Aleppo’s airport, rendering them non-functional.
Israel’s apparent objective is to prevent arms shipments from Iran to militant groups supported by Tehran, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
‘Collective duty to stop bloodshed,’ says Palestinian FM
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has urged world leaders at a high-level UN meeting to intervene and stop “the ongoing massacres being deliberately and systematically perpetrated by Israel.”
“Over 2 million Palestinians are struggling to survive each day and each night,” he added.
ADVERTISEMENTAl-Maliki emphasized that according to international law, “it is our collective human duty to stop” the Israeli attacks and bloodshed.
Israel, on the other hand, has rejected calls for a ceasefire from the UN, Palestinians, and many countries, vowing to destroy Hamas.
The Israeli government views the war in Gaza as not just their own, but “the war of the free world.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen dismissed calls for “proportionality” in their response to Hamas’ surprise attacks on October 7th, which claimed the lives of 1,400 people.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, over 5,700 Palestinians have been killed since then.
ADVERTISEMENTCohen addressed the UN Security Council, stating that the appropriate response to the militant group’s attack on southern Israel is “total destruction to the last one of the Hamas,” and referring to the extremist group as “the new Nazis.”
“It is not just Israel’s right to destroy Hamas. It is our duty,” he affirmed.
UNRWA says operations will halt on Wednesday night due to lack of fuel
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees issued a warning, stating that they would be forced to suspend their operations in Gaza starting from Wednesday night due to a shortage of fuel.
In response, Israel’s military posted a picture showing fuel tanks inside Gaza, stating, “They contain more than 500,000 litres of fuel. Ask Hamas if you can have some.”
ADVERTISEMENTUNRWA’s director general, Philippe Lazzarini, had already warned on Sunday that the organization’s fuel supplies would run out on Wednesday.
“Without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and bakeries. Without fuel, aid will not reach those in desperate need. Without fuel, there will be no humanitarian assistance. No fuel will further strangle the children, women, and people of Gaza,” he expressed.
US fighter jets arrive in Middle East
Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder announced that the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 119 Expeditionary Fighter Squadron had arrived in the Middle East on Tuesday. The squadron is equipped with F-16 fighter jets, but the exact location of deployment was not disclosed.
Ryder also revealed that the US is preparing for an increase in violence, citing at least 13 attacks against troops and installations in Iraq and Syria.
ADVERTISEMENT“What we are seeing is the potential for further escalation against US forces and personnel across the region in the near future, originating from Iranian proxy forces and ultimately from Iran,” Ryder stated during a Pentagon briefing.
