Health officials in Gaza say more than 10 000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli assault. Both Israel and Hamas have rejected growing calls for a ceasefire. Israel says hostages should be released first. Hamas says it will not free them nor stop fighting while Gaza is under attack.
Blasts and flares over Gaza City’s skyline as Israeli airstrikes continued to bombard the enclave. The Israeli military says they have taken control of a Hamas military stronghold in the northern Gaza Strip. Some are lucky to have made it out alive via the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Palestine.
Palestinian American, Susan Beseisi says, “Just a few metres from us, a bomb just blew up. I was panicking, I had the worst panic attack and I started screaming and crying, my dad was outside, my mom was outside, my nephew was outside and I started screaming like crazy. I felt like my father had been blown to pieces. My mother was not there and my nephew was gone.As the situation worsens, the United Nations says this is a tragedy of colossal proportions and aid is desperately needed.
EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Janez Lenarcic says, “Everybody knows who supports Hamas and this is not EU. European Union assistance, humanitarian or development assistance has always reached its destination. When it is humanitarian assistance, we work with humanitarian partners who are trusted partners, and who have strong safeguards in place in order to ensure that the assistance reaches the people who need it. There have been never any credible indications or proofs, let alone proofs that European humanitarian aid has ended in the wrong hands. UN boss says he’s absolutely worried about the current situation and no one should be above the law.
Antonio Guterres says, “The protection of civilians must be paramount. I am deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing. Let me be clear – no party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law.
Source: eNCA
In other news – Nomzamo Mbatha has landed another big international gig
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