Israel bombards Gaza as truce efforts stall

Israeli forces continued their operations in Gaza on Friday as truce efforts failed to yield results. Strikes were reported in Rafah and central areas of the Gaza Strip. At Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, mourners gathered around the body of an 11-year-old boy who died during an attack on the Bureij refugee camp.

The Israeli military stated that its troops were active in central Gaza, targeting a militant cell in the Zeitun area. In Rafah, witnesses reported helicopter fire, while Hamas claimed its militants fired mortars at Israeli forces in Tal al-Sultan.

This conflict began after Hamas’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, resulting in 1,194 Israeli deaths and the capture of 251 hostages. Of these, 116 remain in Gaza, though the Israeli military reports that 41 are dead. In response, Israel’s offensive has led to at least 37,266 deaths in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, including 34 deaths in the last 24 hours.

During his Middle East trip to push for a Gaza ceasefire, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said resolving the Hezbollah-Israel violence requires a Gaza ceasefire. However, at the G7 summit in Italy, U.S. President Joe Biden identified Hamas as the main obstacle to achieving a Gaza truce and hostage release.

Hamas demands a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire, which Israel has rejected. Blinken stated that Israel supports the latest ceasefire plan, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly endorsed it. Biden’s plan includes a six-week ceasefire, hostage releases, and Gaza’s reconstruction.

The World Food Program has reported severe challenges in delivering aid due to the conflict, while the World Health Organization highlighted that over 8,000 children under five in Gaza have been treated for acute malnutrition.

The U.S. imposed sanctions on the Israeli group Tzav 9 for blocking Gaza-bound aid convoys. The G7 leaders emphasized the need for rapid and unhindered humanitarian aid and urged the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, to be allowed to operate without obstruction.

As Eid al-Adha approaches, Gazans are struggling with shortages of essential goods. Mohammed Shabat, displaced like most of Gaza’s population, remarked, “There is no Eid spirit.”