(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
The Peninsula online
Doha, Qatar: Israel continued to bomb southern and central Gaza with the total number of Palestinians killed raised to atleast 36,479, while 82,777 have been left wounded.
Education Ministry in Ramallah, stated that most of the children killed by Israel in Gaza, occupied West bank and East Jerusalem were students or were in nurseries.
It added that since the war on Gaza started, 620,000 students have been prevented from going to school, while 88,000 have been denied education at the university level.
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[11:30am Doha Time] 'Heart-wrenching' situation in Gaza 'stark reminder' of human cost of conflict: UN
Tor Wennesland, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, has said he visited the besieged Gaza Strip yesterday and witnessed the“devastating impact of the hostilities”.
“The scenes of destruction and suffering of people are heart-wrenching,” he said.“And it is clear that urgent action is needed to alleviate the humanitarian crisis facing the Gaza Strip.”
Wennesland also said he visited al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis and met with officials to discuss ways to address the immediate needs of the population.
“What I saw in Gaza is a stark reminder of the human cost of conflict,” he said, adding that the US proposal for a ceasefire should be accepted by all parties involved.
Palestinians mourn relatives killed in Israeli bombardment of a house in al-Bureij refugee camp, at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah on June 4, 2024. (Photo by Bashar Taleb / AFP)
[11am Doha Time] Turkiye, US discuss war on Gaza
Ankara: Turkish President's Foreign Policy and Security Chief Advisor Akif Cagatay Kilic held a phone call on Monday with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
During the call, the two sides discussed the Israeli war on Gaza, as well as bilateral relations, the situation in Ukraine, and other regional issues, according to the Turkiye's Anadolu Agency (AA).
They also exchanged views on combating terrorism - an issue of priority to both sides. (QNA)
[10:30am Doha Time] Japan's Nagasaki holds off inviting Israel to peace ceremony
The Israeli ambassador to Japan has not yet been invited to Nagasaki's annual peace ceremony, said city officials who instead sent the embassy a letter calling for a Gaza ceasefire.
The city in southern Japan this week invited dozens of countries and territories to the August 9 event on the anniversary of the US nuclear attack in 1945 that killed 74,000 people.
But "as for Israel, the situation is changing day by day... so we have put sending an invitation letter on hold," mayor Shiro Suzuki told reporters on Monday.
Its letter said that if city officials decide in the coming months that there is no problem in inviting Israel, "we will issue an invitation swiftly", according to the mayor.
Worries that protests could disrupt the memorial for atomic bomb victims are partly behind the decision, said Suzuki.
"Given the critical humanitarian situation in Gaza, and public opinion in the international community, there are concerns about the risk of unexpected incidents during the ceremony," which should be "safe and smooth".
The Palestinian envoy has been invited to the ceremony in Nagasaki, local officials told AFP on Tuesday.
[9am Doha Time] Gaza's situation getting worse, there are no more functional hospitals: UN
Head of OCHA's Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) Andrea De Domenico said that the situation in Gaza is getting worse and that there are no more functional hospitals in Rafah.
Domenico added in a press conference that there are great efforts to re-establish a hospital in the central region of Gaza, but there are no more functional hospitals in Rafah, except for field hospitals.
He pointed out that medical teams were sent to the region from all over the world, pointing out that these doctors were unable to find a place to treat the injured.
Domenico said that it has become very difficult for UN operations to continue their presence in Gaza in light of the current situation.
The UN official added that he believes that there is no other place in the world where the regime is suffering from great pressure and that there is no other UN mission that can continue its activities under these circumstances other than Gaza.
The Israeli occupation army launched a violent ground attack on Rafah, which is crowded with displaced people and residents, despite UN and international warnings of the consequences of aggression against the border city, and the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to stop the attack, which caused an exacerbation of the humanitarian catastrophe, the closure of the Rafah crossing, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands again.
[8:30am Doha Time] US urges Security Council to back Gaza ceasefire plan
The United States announced a draft Security Council resolution supporting Gaza ceasefire plan outlined by US President Joe Biden on May 13.
"Today, the United States circulated a new US draft Security Council Resolution supporting the proposal now on the table to end the fighting in Gaza through a ceasefire and hostage deal. Numerous leaders and governments, including in the region, have endorsed this plan. We call on the Security Council to join them in calling for implementation of this deal without delay and without further conditions," US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement.
The US Ambassador urged members of the UN Security Council to adopt the draft resolution. "Council Members should not let this opportunity to pass by. We must speak with one voice in support of this deal," she stressed.
"Swift implementation of this deal would enable an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in its first phase, an immediate surge in humanitarian assistance and restoration of basic services, the return of Palestinian civilians to northern Gaza, together with a roadmap for ending the crisis altogether and a multi-year internationally backed reconstruction plan," she explained.
Biden on Friday laid out what he described as a three-phase Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza in return for the release of Israeli hostages, saying "it's time for this war to end".
The US proposal comes a week after Algeria proposed a draft resolution to the Security Council calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and ordering Israel to immediately cease its military offensive in Rafah.
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