Palestinian Presidency holds US responsible for Israel’s resumption of aggression on Gaza
News Desk
GAZA CITY: The Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has entered its 56th consecutive day with the renewal of Israeli airstrikes and shelling on Friday morning, following the temporary humanitarian ceasefire that lasted for seven days amidst demands for a comprehensive halt to the Israeli genocidal war.
The number of people killed in Israeli attacks since the expiration of the truce has now reached 109, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
Hundreds of people have also been wounded.
The Israeli army resumed its bombardment of Gaza this morning, targeting residential areas and refugee camps across the densely populated territory.
Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, has appealed to “every living conscience” to allow the opening of the Rafah crossing amid an “extremely catastrophic” humanitarian crisis.
“The medical aid that entered Gaza during the truce is only enough for one day,” al-Qudra said in a statement. “The health sector in Gaza is out of service in every sense of the word,” he said.
There are only three hospitals functioning in Gaza which are not equipped to receive a large number of patients, he added.
His comment came after Israeli air attacks resumed after a fragile seven-day truce, killing at least 70 people in a few hours. Medics are struggling to help patients who are piling up on hospital floors amid a shortage of beds.
PM Pedro Sanchez tried to defuse tension between Spain and Israel during a call with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz.
On X, Sanchez said in the call with Gantz he reaffirmed that Israel is a partner and friend of Spain.
“Israel has the right to defend itself against this terrorist attack, but I reaffirmed that Spain finds the death of civilians in Gaza unbearable and that Israel must comply with international humanitarian law,” he wrote.
Gantz also said on X that he had emphasised to Sanchez the “terrorist Hamas must be dismantled in Gaza.”
In an interview on Thursday, Sanchez said he doubted Israel respected international humanitarian law due to the high death toll. Israel slammed the comments, summoned Spain’s ambassador, and recalled its envoy from Madrid for consultations.
Tonight is going to be crucial. Negotiators have to come up with something positive.
You cannot afford to have a second day of fighting because there might be a tipping point where suddenly you won’t have any control of this whole situation.
This is something the Qataris understand. There’s been a momentum they’ve been building, and they were hoping to capitalise on that momentum to convince the Americans, in particular, to put more pressure on Israel for this ceasefire to hold.
If it continues, and if the escalation continues for another day, it’s going to be extremely difficult to return to square one.
Aid was stranded near Egypt’s border with Gaza as Israel resumed its military campaign on Friday, with truck drivers saying they expected further delays to a complex delivery process that had speeded up during a week-long truce.
“The bombardment has been going on since seven in the morning. There are planes and artillery and we haven’t moved,” said driver Saleh Ebada, who had already been waiting to enter the crossing for inspection for eight days when fighting restarted.
Egyptian security sources and a Red Crescent official said aid and fuel trucks had stopped entering from Egypt. UN officials described the resumption of fighting as “catastrophic” and said the continuation of aid delivery was in doubt.
Rafah has been the only entry point for aid going into Gaza since Israel began besieging and bombarding the coastal territory in retaliation for a lethal October 7 incursion and the capture of hostages by Palestinian group Hamas.
International flights have been landing at Al Arish airport in Sinai to deliver cargoes of aid. Convoys of trucks have also been bringing aid from Cairo.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it had fired on Israeli army positions at the Lebanese-Israeli border on Friday in an attack to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas resumed.
In a brief statement, Hezbollah said its fighters had carried out Friday’s attack using “appropriate weapons” against a gathering of Israeli troops. The attack was “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people … and its valiant and honorable resistance”, Hezbollah said.
The Israeli army earlier said it intercepted an “aerial target” that crossed from Lebanon into Israel, after sirens warning of possible incoming rockets went off in several towns in northern Israel and sent residents running for shelter.
