As the Israeli army continues its ground operation in northern Gaza, Israel’s war cabinet approved the daily entry of fuel trucks for UN use. Calls for a ceasefire are mounting amid continuing rocket fire from Gaza, but impasses remain to a possible hostage deal as international organizations warn of hunger and disease in Gaza.
Fighting raged in the Gaza Strip on Friday, nearly six weeks after a shock attack by Hamas sparked relentless bombing and a ground offensive by Israel, which vows to destroy the Palestinian militant group.
About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Israel during the October 7 attack and around 240 were taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
In Gaza, about 11,500 people, also mostly civilians, have been killed, officials in the Hamas-run territory have said.
Deaths From Power Cuts
The health ministry in Gaza said Friday that 24 patients have died in the past two days at Al-Shifa hospital owing to power cuts, as Israeli forces search the facility for Hamas hideouts.
“Twenty-four patients in different departments have died over the last 48 hours as vital medical equipment has stopped functioning because of the power outage,” said ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra.
Fuel Tankers Into Gaza
Israeli officials said Friday they authorized the delivery of two tankers of diesel fuel daily to the besieged Gaza Strip, as hospitals and aid infrastructure shut down over energy shortages.
In response to a US request, the Israeli war cabinet unanimously approved entry of the tankers for the UN to support water and sewer infrastructure “provided that it does not reach Hamas,” officials said in a statement.
Israel has come under increasing international pressure as the UN warned this week its aid work in Gaza could not continue as fuel reserves ran out.
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ICC Investigation Requests
Five countries, including South Africa and Bangladesh, on Friday called for an International Criminal Court investigation into the Israel-Hamas war which has left thousands of dead, its chief prosecutor said.
ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan said South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros and Djibouti — all ICC members — had sought an investigation of “the situation in the state of Palestine”.
Hospital Search
Israeli troops carried out building-by-building searches at Gaza’s main hospital on Friday, after a communications blackout in the Palestinian territory compounded fears for civilians trapped inside the facility.
Al-Shifa hospital has become a focal point for Israeli operations in northern Gaza since soldiers raided the complex on Wednesday, hunting for a command center they say militant group Hamas operates at the site.
Hamas and hospital managers deny that charge, and there has been international concern about thousands of people — including wounded patients and premature babies — believed to be inside.
Khalil Wakim with AFP
