Senior Hamas official: No peace in region without Gaza resolution
Basem Naim spoke to Reuters news agency in an interview in Istanbul, saying that even a permanent ceasefire in Gaza will be difficult to reach without solving the issue of Gaza, which he called the origins of the entire current Middle East conflict.
Here are a few of the other key comments Naim made during the interview:
- Even if they reach a ceasefire in Lebanon, there will be no calm in the region.
- The strongest message of [the October 7 Hamas attacks] was that any attempt to bypass the Palestinians or to overcome or neglect the Palestinian cause means clearly that no one can enjoy stability and security in the region without solving this longstanding conflict.
- There is still a chance to go for implementation of this brokered deal if the Americans say, ‘It is enough, we have to stop here.’
- The mediators are likely disappointed. And, at the moment, we are still ready to go for the implementation of the July 2 agreement immediately. But we cannot simply start negotiating new conditions added by [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu.
- How can I understand that at the time the Americans are calling for more aid and calling for more humanitarian relief and at the same time, they are sending billions and billions of dollars [to Israel]?
- I think [Israel’s recent campaign against north Gaza] is different from the incursions we have witnessed before … It is much more brutal, much more aggressive. It is targeting directly the civilian residential houses and homes. It is a very tight, suffocating siege on a lot of residential areas, especially when it comes to the Jabalia and Jabalia refugee camp.
UNICEF: It will soon be cold in Beirut as 1.2 million people remain displaced
A senior official with the UN children’s agency is urging the international community to respond to the massive humanitarian crisis created by Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban said presently around 1.2 million people had been displaced, among them 400,000 children.
“Nearly 190,000 of those forced from their homes are in more than makeshift shelters hoping for a semblance of safety – mostly public schools, while countless others seek refuge with anyone who can offer a roof and a place to rest. Some have no option but the beachfront or the street,” he said at the UN.
He said there is a massive need for food, water, medical supplies and emergency shelters, and said it is vital money was found to secure them.
“Winter is coming, it is getting cold here, it will get cold in Beirut soon enough and we need to be ready to support families as it gets cold,” he said “We call upon the international community to act with urgency. Funding is critical, UNICEF’s appeal is eight percent funded right now. Funding must be free from conditionalities that hinder swift action.”
At least 7 medical NGOs banned from entering Gaza, sources tell CNN
At least seven medical nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been informed that they will no longer be permitted to enter the Palestinian enclave, according to two sources familiar with the matter. This comes just days after the United States warned Israel that it needs to do more to improve the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza or risk losing military assistance.
The groups, which include FAJR, Glia, the Palestinian American Medical Association and at least four others — all with a long history of operating in the Palestinian territories — were told by the World Health Organization that they had been banned by Israel, the sources said. Members of the now-banned organizations who are already inside Gaza will not be permitted re-entry after they leave, the sources added.
Dorotea Gucciardo, director of development for Glia, confirmed it is among the banned medical aid groups. “Banning healthcare workers from entering Gaza is going to further cripple any ability to provide life-giving and life-saving care to Palestinians, who have already been suffering under the weight of a nearly 20-year military siege,” she told CNN.
CNN has reached out to Fajr, the Palestinian American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, Gaza’s Ministry of Health and Israel’s office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories for comment.
