Bombing persisted in Gaza on Friday as the international community began to assess Israel’s initial proposals for the governance of the territory, following its prolonged conflict with the militant group Hamas, now entering its fourth month.
Bombing continued across Gaza on Friday as the world began to digest Israel’s first proposals for the administration of the territory after its war with militant group Hamas, now approaching its fourth month.
With much of the Gaza Strip already reduced to rubble, air strikes continued through the night in the southern cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah, as well as parts of central Gaza, AFP correspondents reported.
Israel launched its campaign against Hamas after the militant group’s October 7 attack, which resulted in the death of around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
The militants also took around 250 hostages, 132 of whom remain in captivity, according to Israel, including at least 24 believed to have been killed.
In response, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment and ground invasion that have killed at least 22,600 people, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.
Post-War Proposals
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s plan for the “day after”, shared with the media late Thursday but not yet adopted by Israel’s war Cabinet, says that neither Israel nor Hamas will govern Gaza, and rejects future Jewish settlements there.
According to Gallant’s proposals, the war will continue until Israel has dismantled Hamas’s “military and governing capabilities,” and secured the return of hostages.
After Israel achieves its objectives – for which the proposal sets no timeline – Palestinian “civil committees” will begin assuming control of the territory’s governance, it said.
‘A Place of Death and Despair’
Commenting on the situation in Gaza, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said on Friday that Gaza had become “uninhabitable.” “Three months since the horrific 7 October attacks, Gaza has become a place of death and despair,” Griffiths said in a statement.
“We continue to demand an immediate end to the war, not just for the people of Gaza and its threatened neighbors, but for the generations to come who will never forget these 90 days of hell and of assaults on the most basic precepts of humanity,” Griffiths said.
“This war should never have started. But it’s long past time for it to end.”
Seven Tons of Aid
In response to the situation, France and Jordan teamed up to airdrop seven tons of aid to civilians and aid workers in Gaza, President Emmanuel Macron said Friday. Macron’s office said the “extremely complex operation” took place late Thursday, saying it had been made possible by close ties between the French and Jordanian militaries.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
