December 18, 2023

Gaza update

Guardian -  The World Health Organization has said it is “appalled” after Israel’s deadly raid on northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan hospital at the weekend. The WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the “effective destruction” of the hospital over the past several days was “rendering it non-functional and resulting in the death of at least eight patients”.

The Israeli government’s “killing rage” in Gaza poses a threat to the country’s moral and legal authority and will fuel conflict for another 50 years, the former UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has warned. In an intervention that goes further than any other front-rank British politician in its criticism of Israel’s methods in the war, the senior Conservative MP wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “Going after Hamas is legitimate; obliterating vast swathes of Gaza is not. Using proportionate force is legal, but collective punishment and forced movement of civilians is not.”

The US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, is expected to press Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza on a visit on Monday, in the latest test of whether the US can leverage its unwavering support for the offensive to blunt its devastating impact on Palestinian civilians. France, the UK and Germany, some of Israel’s closest allies, joined global calls for a ceasefire over the weekend, and Israeli protesters have demanded the government relaunch talks with the militant group on releasing more hostages after three were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops while waving a white flag.

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