Palestinian resistance
More than two months into the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, the regime continues with its relentless airstrikes and shelling across the blockaded territory. Dozens of Palestinians are killed in the latest airstrikes on Khan Yunis and Rafah, south of Gaza. Israeli warplanes also hit two homes in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, leaving nearly 30 people dead. Civilian structures, including schools, hospitals and mosques, are still among the main targets of the regime’s air raids. The Jabalia refugee camp was shelled once again. Meanwhile on the ground, heavy fighting is underway in several cities, including Khan Yunis. Hamas says its fighters are engaged in fierce battles with Israeli troops. The resistance group says it has destroyed two dozen military vehicles in Khan Yunis and Beit Lahia, in the north of the territory.
Gaza health system ‘on its knees’
In a rare move, the UN secretary general has invoked what is widely considered to be the most powerful diplomatic tool to turn the attention of the Security Council toward the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip. In the letter, Antonio Guterres calls on the Security Council as well as the international community to use all available means to stop Israel’s massacre of Palestinians. In response to Guterres’s letter, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has urged European members of the 15-member council to immediately prevent a full collapse of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Also a short draft resolution was circulated to council members by the United Arab Emirates, demanding an immediate ceasefire while expressing grave concern over the situation in the Palestinian territory. The head of the world health organization also echoed the UN chief’s message, saying the health situation in Gaza is on its knees and near total collapse. Israel’s incessant onslaughts on Gaza have left at least 16-thousand-two-hundred Palestinians dead, 70 percent of them women and children.
Israel land grab policy
Israel has approved plans to build 1,738 new settler units in the occupied East al-Quds, amid the regime’s genocidal onslaught against the besieged Gaza Strip. Peace Now, which is an Israel-based NGO, said the new settler units will effectively obstruct the last remaining corridor connecting two major Palestinian neighborhoods in East al-Quds with the rest of the city. It added that the plan makes the creation of a Palestinian urban continuum in East al-Quds practically impossible. The Palestinian foreign ministry said on Tuesday that Israel has taken advantage of international concerns over the war in Gaza to approve the construction of the new settlement. The ministry added that the regime plans to flood al-Quds with settlements and settlers to separate the city from its Palestinian surroundings. All Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law as they have been constructed on the occupied land.