GAZA STRIP: Deadly fighting rages on in Gaza, with no truce in sight on the eve of holy month of Ramazan and a dire humanitarian crisis gripping the besieged Palestinian territory.
Egypt said it was in contact with senior Hamas and Israeli figures, as well as other mediators, in an effort to restart negotiations for a truce, two Egyptian security sources told Reuters.
Egypt’s contacts with Hamas and Israeli intelligence agency Mossad on Sunday were carried out under a mandate from the Egyptian presidency in an effort to bring the two sides’ divergent positions together, the sources said, without providing further details. Qatar, Egypt and the US have been trying to negotiate a deal for a ceasefire, but the latest round of talks, not attended by Israel, broke up in Cairo earlier this week.
Both sides have blamed each other for failing to reach a ceasefire deal so far, after Israel had demanded a full list of surviving prisoners, and Hamas had called for Israel to pull out all its troops from Gaza. As famine looms in parts of besieged Gaza, US, Jordanian and other planes have also airdropped food aid there, but UN agencies warn this falls far short of the needs of its 2.4 million people.
Israel’s massive bombardment and ground offensive have turned vast swathes of Gaza into bombed-out wasteland, killing 31,045 people, mostly women and children, the health ministry in Gaza said on Sunday. The health ministry in Gaza said on Sunday that at least 23 children have died from malnutrition and dehydration.
Inside Gaza, displaced Palestinians were lining up at a truck carrying scarce drinking water, which they filled into jerry cans and plastic containers. “Now, on regular days, we can barely get water, so what about the upcoming Ramazan?” said one woman, Nesreen Abu Yussef. “In the camp we have sick children who need sugar and protein, our children are getting dizzy,” she said. “I swear, for the last five months we haven’t seen a single egg or meat.” Fighting and bombardment again rocked Gaza, where 81 bodies arrived overnight at barely functioning hospitals, according to the health ministry.
