Israeli attacks kill dozens across Gaza
Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report that an Israeli raid on a house near Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip has killed at least 17 people.
Seven others were killed and many were injured in the Israeli bombing of a house near al-Jalaa Street in west Gaza City, they said.
Medical sources told Al Jazeera that 46 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip since dawn today, 30 of them in the north.
Israelis protest outside Netanyahu’s home to demand swap deal
Families of the Israeli captives are outside the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in West Jerusalem to demand the captives’ exchange with Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
“End war. Hostage deal immediately,” and “Hostages won’t survive another winter”, read a few of the banners waved by protesters.
In a statement, organizers of the protest warned that the captives “won’t survive the freezing cold in the tunnels of Gaza”.
Relatives of Israeli captives and opposition parties have escalated their protests against Netanyahu’s government, which they accuse of sabotaging efforts to reach an exchange deal.
Israel estimates that about 101 captives are still being held by Hamas and other groups in Gaza. Some captives are believed to have been killed by indiscriminate Israeli air attacks across the densely populated enclave.
‘Days, not weeks’ to increase food to northern Gaza: IRC
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is demanding humanitarian aid be allowed to enter northern Gaza in light of the latest findings by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’s (IPC) Famine Review Committee, which said famine is likely “imminent” in the area.
In a statement, the IRC said the report, which was issued two weeks ago, marked a “sharp and alarming deterioration” since last month’s report, which projected a “tripling” in the number of people facing food shortages in the coming months.
“The worst-case scenario may already be underway: Across Gaza, starvation, malnutrition, and excess mortality due to malnutrition and disease are rapidly increasing. The situation is critical. We have days, not weeks, to take decisive action to alleviate these dire conditions,” the IRC said.
“The Government of Israel must fulfill its obligations to ensure that people across Gaza can access food, medical supplies and other basic necessities needed for the survival of the population. Lives are now hanging in the balance,” the statement added.
UNRWA says 109 food trucks looted after crossing into Gaza last week
All the trucks in an aid convoy have been looted after crossing into Gaza, an official from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) tells Reuters.
Louise Wateridge, UNRWA senior emergency officer, told Reuters that the convoy, which was carrying food provided by UNRWA and the UN World Food Programme, was instructed by Israel to depart at short notice via an unfamiliar route from the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing.
The incident on Saturday resulted in the loss of 98 of the convoy’s 109 trucks, she said. “This incident highlights the severity of access challenges of bringing aid into southern and central Gaza,” Wateridge added.
