Israeli troops entered the the main hospital in southern Gaza on Thursday in what the army said was a limited operation seeking the remains of hostages taken by Hamas.
One patient died and seven were wounded when Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis came under fire on Wednesday, Dr. Khaled Alserr, one of the remaining surgeons at the hospital, told The Associated Press.
Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals and other civilian structures to shield its fighters. The military said it had “credible intelligence” that Hamas had held hostages at the hospital and that the remains of hostages might still be inside.
Israel launched airstrikes in southern Lebanon for a second day after killing 10 civilians and three Hezbollah fighters on Wednesday in response to a rocket attack that killed an Israeli soldier and wounded several others. It was the deadliest of daily exchanges of fire along the border since the Oct. 7 start of the war in Gaza.
Negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza appear to have stalled, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive until Hamas is destroyed and scores of hostages are returned.
The number of Palestinians killed during the war in Gaza has surpassed 28,000 people, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. A quarter of Gaza’s residents are starving. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and around 250 abducted in Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Here’s the latest:
Head of UNRWA warns money for Gaza operations running out
LONDON — The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says it will run short of money for its work in Gaza within weeks unless donor countries reverse their decision to suspend funding.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said the decision by 15 nations had frozen a total of US$450 million, and a failure to restore funding “will definitely impact our ability to continue to operate.”
The U.S., the U.K. and several other countries suspended funding to UNRWA after Israel alleged a dozen of its employees took part in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, which ignited the war in Gaza. The U.N. is investigating the claims.
Speaking during a visit to Dublin, Lazzarini said that the suspended money includes 82 million euros ($88 million) from the European Union’s executive, the European Commission.
“This amount is due at the beginning of March. It is of utmost importance that this is released on time, because if it is not released, our operation will start to be compromised as from the month of March,” he said.
Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin said the Irish government would give 20 million euros ($22 million) to UNRWA this year, and accused Israel of running a “disinformation campaign” against the agency.
“Our partners in the European Union and elsewhere, including the United States, must urgently rescind this decision and resume funding. “Sufficient aid is still not reaching civilians in Gaza and that is very unacceptable,” Martin said.
Arab League warns against Rafah offensive
CAIRO — The head of the Arab League on Thursday warned that an Israeli ground offensive into Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah would lead to “a humanitarian disaster” and threaten stability in the region.
“We are calling on all parties that understand the gravity of the situation to act immediately in order to stop these crazy plans,” Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in a statement. Over half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have sought refuge in Rafah after fleeing elsewhere in the coastal enclave.
“What is the meaning of justice and international organizations if they remain unable to enforce a ceasefire and to put an end to these daily gruesome massacres?” he said.
The statement came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his negotiating team to pull out of talks in Cairo to broker a ceasefire with Hamas. Netanyahu had accused Hamas of making “delusional demands.
Israel complains to Vatican
ROME — Israel has formally complained after the Vatican No. 2 spoke of the “carnage” in Gaza by what he termed a disproportionate Israeli military operation following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
The Israeli Embassy to the Holy See called the comments by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, “regrettable.” In a statement Wednesday, the embassy said he hadn’t considered what it said were the relevant facts on which to judge the legitimacy of Israel’s actions.
Speaking Tuesday at a reception, Parolin had condemned the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel and all forms of antisemitism. But he questioned Israel’s claim to be acting in self-defence by inflicting “carnage” on Gaza.
“Israel’s right to self-defence has been invoked to justify that this operation is proportional, but with 30,000 dead, it’s not,” he said.
In its statement, the Israeli Embassy accused Hamas of turning the Gaza Strip into “the biggest terrorist base ever seen.” It said Israeli armed forces were acting according to international law and said the proportion of Palestinian civilians to “terrorists” killed was less than in other conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
But in a front-page editorial Thursday entitled “Stop the Carnage,” the Vatican’s editorial director Andrea Tornielli doubled down on the Vatican position. Tornielli quoted a Rome-based Holocaust survivor, Edith Bruck, who has been highly critical of the Israeli government’s response, which she has blamed on the rise in antisemitic acts against Jews around the world.
Canada, Australia and New Zealand warn Israel of Rafah catastrophe
CANBERRA, Australia — Canada, Australia and New Zealand are warning Israel that a ground offensive in the Gaza border city of Rafah would be catastrophic.
“We are gravely concerned by indications that Israel is planning a ground offensive into Rafah. A military operation into Rafah would be catastrophic,” the prime ministers of the three nations said in a joint statement on Thursday.
With 1.5 million Palestinians taking refuge in the area where there was an already dire humanitarian situation, the impacts on Palestinian civilians from an expanded military operation would be devastating, they said.
“There is growing international consensus. Israel must listen to its friends and it must listen to the international community,” the statement said.
Arab nations urge U.N. Security Council to demand Gaza ceasefire
UNITED NATIONS — The 22 Arab countries at the United Nations are urging the U.N. Security Council to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and unhindered humanitarian assistance, and to prevent any transfer of Palestinians out of the territory.
The Arab Group chair this month, Tunisia’s U.N. Ambassador Tarek Ladeb, told U.N. reporters Wednesday that some 1.5 million Palestinians who sought safety in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah face a “catastrophic scenario” if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu goes ahead with a potential evacuation of civilians and military offensive in the area bordering Egypt.
Algeria, the Arab representative on the Security Council, circulated a draft resolution about two weeks ago demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access, as well as rejecting the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians, which has been the subject of intense discussions.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said last week that the resolution could jeopardize “sensitive negotiations” aimed at achieving a pause in the Israel-Hamas war and release of some hostages taken during Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, said Wednesday that there is “massive support” for the resolution and Arab diplomats have had “very frank discussions” with the U.S. ambassador, trying to get American support.
“We believe that it is high time now for the Security Council to decide on a humanitarian ceasefire resolution after 131 days,” he said. “The space is narrowing for those who are continuing to ask for more time.”
Some Arab countries were pushing for a vote on the Algerian draft this week, but several Arab and council diplomats said a vote is now likely early next week, giving more time for negotiations with the U.S. to avoid a veto. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions have been private.
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Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer contributed.
