Israel-Hamas conflict | Israel strikes Gaza as pressure grows for ceasefire
The Hindu
Deadly Israeli strikes on besieged Gaza Strip continue despite international calls for ceasefire and pleas from desperate relatives to bring home hostages; UN warns of "breakdown of civil order" and "dying of hunger".
Israel kept up deadly strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip on December 17 despite growing international calls for a ceasefire and pleas from desperate relatives to bring home the remaining hostages.
Fighting raged on in the bloodiest ever Gaza war, now in its third month, that started with the Hamas attacks of October 7 and has devastated much of the Palestinian territory, sparking global concern.
The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said “24 Palestinians were killed this morning in Jabalia camp by an Israeli bombardment. Many are still missing under the rubble”.
It also said at least 12 people died in strikes on the central city of Deir al-Balah, while witnesses reported bombardment of Bani Suhaila east of Khan Yunis, Gaza’s second city.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again vowed that “we will fight until the end. We will achieve all of our aims — eliminating Hamas, freeing all our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will not again become a centre for terrorism.”
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, the latest foreign envoy visiting Israel, called for an “immediate and durable” truce leading to a lasting ceasefire, stressing that “too many civilians are being killed”.
Her British and German counterparts, David Cameron and Annalena Baerbock, also bemoaned the high civilian toll but voiced a different stance on the conflict, in a joint Sunday Times article.
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