Israel agrees to observe a four-hour daily pause in its offensives in northern Gaza.
This was announced on Thursday by the Biden administration, which continues to urge Israel to avoid the civilian population in its bombardments.
Several hospitals and humanitarian aid centers have been targeted by IDF bombardments.
To date, some 11,000 people, including over 4,000 Palestinian children, have been killed since the launch of Israeli offensives in response to the attack by Hamas militants, which claimed the lives of 1,400 Israelis, according to the Palestinian authorities.
Among the victims were 89 staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). A record since the creation of the multinational organization, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who called for an immediate ceasefire.
“More UN aid workers” have been killed in recent weeks than in any comparable period in the history of our organization,” Mr. Guterres wrote Monday on X, formerly Twitter. “I join in mourning 89 of our UNRWA colleagues who were killed in Gaza – many of them with family members,” the UN chief added.
More @UN aid workers have been killed in recent weeks than in any comparable period in the history of our organization.
I join in the mourning of 89 of our @UNRWA colleagues who have been killed in Gaza – many of them with members of their family.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) November 7, 2023
Antonio Guterres is not the only figure to call on Israel to observe a temporary ceasefire in order to facilitate the deployment of humanitarian aid to Gaza and negotiations to secure the release of hostages by Hamas militants.
Several European leaders, including the French President, call on Israel to observe “a humanitarian pause” in the bombardments in Gaza.
Emmanuel Macron organizes a conference with leaders from over 50 countries, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations. An activity aimed at convincing Israel to temporarily cease reprisals in Gaza. “In the immediate term, we must strive to protect civilians. To do this, we need a humanitarian pause very quickly, and we need to work towards a ceasefire”, said Mr. Macron, who nevertheless recognized Israel’s right to defend itself.
Since the attacks of October 7, Hamas “has taken responsibility for exposing the Palestinians to terrible consequences. The fight against terrorism can never be waged without rules. Israel knows this. The trap of terrorism is the same for all of us: to give in to violence and renounce our values”, he added.
The Palestinian Prime Minister, who took part in the conference, urged the international community to work towards “putting an end to the war”.
Several European countries, the United States and regional powers such as Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf Arab countries took part in the conference, as did Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, who urged the international community to “put an end to the war”. “How many Palestinians have to be killed for the war to end?” asked Mr. Shtayyeh. “What Israel is doing is not a war against Hamas, it’s a war against the entire Palestinian people”, deplored the head of the Palestinian government, as reported by the Associated Press.
Since October 7, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated. Thousands of people have fled the area, while others have remained stranded due to Israel’s blockade of the main border crossings, limiting the number of people allowed to leave Gaza on a daily basis.
The Israeli authorities have also restricted the entry of the vast majority of humanitarian aid, allowing only 25 trucks into Gaza each day.
Before the conflict broke out, Gaza was receiving over 500 truckloads of humanitarian aid per day.