Middle East crisis live: 20 killed as aid truck overturns in Gaza, civil defence agency says | Israel-Gaza war

Lorenzo Tondo

The Guardian was granted permission on Tuesday to journey onboard a Jordanian navy plane offering help. Israel introduced final week that it had resumed coordinated humanitarian airdrops over Gaza, following mounting worldwide strain over extreme shortages of meals and medical provides, which has reached such a disaster level {that a} famine is now unfolding there.

The flight provided not solely an opportunity to witness three tonnes of help – removed from ample – dropped over the famine-stricken strip but in addition a uncommon alternative to look at, albeit from above, a territory that has been largely sealed off from the worldwide media since 7 October and the following offensive launched by Israel. Following the Hamas-led assaults that day, Israel barred international journalists from getting into Gaza – an unprecedented transfer within the historical past of recent battle, marking one of many uncommon moments that reporters have been denied entry to an lively warfare zone.

Even from an altitude of about 2,000ft (600 metres), it was attainable to glimpse locations that mark a few of the battle’s most devastating chapters – a panorama etched with the scars of its deadliest assaults.

These are the websites of bombings and sieges which have been courageously documented by Palestinian journalists – usually at the price of their very own lives. Greater than 230 Palestinian reporters lie buried beneath in unexpectedly dug cemeteries.

You may learn the complete story by Lorenzo Tondo with pictures by Alessio Mamo right here:

Peter Beaumont

On Tuesday, the US president, Donald Trump, declined to say whether or not he supported or opposed a possible navy takeover of Gaza by Israel and stated his administration’s focus was on growing meals entry to the Palestinian territory.

Trump informed reporters:

I do know that we’re there now attempting to get individuals fed. So far as the remainder of it, I actually can’t say. That’s going to be just about as much as Israel.

Late on Tuesday, a senior UN official warned that increasing Israeli navy operations contained in the territory “would danger catastrophic penalties for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and will additional endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza”.

Addressing the UN safety council in New York, Miroslav Jenča, the assistant secretary common for Europe, central Asia and the Americas, stated:

There isn’t a navy resolution to the battle in Gaza or the broader Israeli-Palestinian battle.

China’s deputy UN consultant, Geng Shuang, expressed “nice concern” concerning the reported plans for Gaza and added:

We urge Israel to right away halt such harmful actions.

He referred to as for a ceasefire and urged international locations with affect to take concrete steps to assist convey one about.

Israeli cupboard assembly postponed as tensions rise over Netanyahu’s occupation plan

Peter Beaumont

An Israeli safety cupboard assembly, which had been anticipated to debate Benjamin Netanyahu’s name for the “full occupation” of Gaza, has been postponed amid mounting tensions over whether or not the plan is possible.

Amid a stalling of ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, Israeli officers had briefed native and worldwide media that the prime minister was contemplating an expansive offensive, geared toward taking full management of the Palestinian territory after 22 months of warfare towards the militant group Hamas.

Nonetheless, senior Israeli navy officers and former senior commanders warned the plan would endanger the lives of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas, danger additional worldwide isolation of Israel and require Israeli troopers to manage a inhabitants during which Hamas fighters had been nonetheless current.

Any transfer in the direction of full occupation is prone to be strongly resisted by giant elements of the worldwide group, already horrified by the conduct of Israel’s navy marketing campaign.

Israel’s scorched-earth marketing campaign has obliterated giant elements of Gaza, killed greater than 60,000 individuals, principally civilians, compelled almost all of Gaza’s greater than 2 million individuals from their houses and created what a worldwide starvation monitor final week referred to as an unfolding famine.

That has brought about widespread worldwide anger and prompted a number of European international locations to say they’d recognise a Palestinian state next month if there was no ceasefire, amid mounting requires sanctions towards Israel.

The disquiet follows briefings to Israeli journalists on Monday saying that Netanyahu had determined the expanded offensive was a foregone conclusion.

“The die has been forged. We’re going for the complete conquest of the Gaza Strip – and defeating Hamas,” the unnamed sources stated, quoting Netanyahu.

By Tuesday, nevertheless, proof had emerged of deep splits between Netanyahu and senior navy officers, together with the chief of workers, Eyal Zamir, who reportedly voiced opposition to the plan, prompting requires his dismissal.

Absent at a safety cupboard assembly, Netanyahu did, nevertheless, meet safety officers, however not in a decision-making setting. His workplace stated later that the Israeli navy would perform any determination made in cupboard.

Throughout a go to to a military coaching facility earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu stated:

It’s essential to finish the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, to free all our hostages and to make sure that Gaza will not pose a risk to Israel.

Gaza’s civil defence company stated on Wednesday that 20 individuals had been killed when an help truck overturned close to the Nuseirat refugee camp within the central Gaza Strip.

“Twenty individuals had been killed and dozens injured round midnight final evening in a truck carrying help [that] overturned … whereas lots of of civilians had been ready for help,” the company’s spokesperson Mahmud Bassal informed Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Hamas accused Israel of forcing truck drivers to take unsafe routes to achieve help distribution centres. “This usually ends in determined crowds swarming the vans,” its media workplace stated in a press release.

Seperately, it was reported yesterday that truck drivers attempting to ship help inside Gaza stated their work had grow to be more and more harmful in latest months as individuals have grown desperately hungry and violent gangs have crammed an influence vacuum left by the territory’s Hamas rulers.

Crowds of hungry individuals have routinely ripped help off the backs of transferring vans, the native drivers stated. In line with studies, some vans have been hijacked by armed males working for gangs who promote the help in Gaza’s markets for exorbitant costs.

In different developments:

• An Israeli safety cupboard assembly, which had been anticipated to debate Benjamin Netanyahu’s name for the “full occupation” of Gaza, has been postponed amid mounting tensions over whether or not the plan is possible. Amid a stalling of ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, Israeli officers had briefed native and worldwide media that the prime minister was contemplating an expansive offensive, geared toward taking full management of the Palestinian territory after 22 months of warfare towards the militant group Hamas.

• On Tuesday, the United Nations referred to as studies a couple of attainable determination to develop Israel’s navy operations all through the Gaza Strip “deeply alarming” if true. The UN assistant secretary common Miroslav Jenča informed a UN safety council assembly on the state of affairs in Gaza that such a transfer “would danger catastrophic penalties … and will additional endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza”.

• The US president, Donald Trump, declined to say whether or not he supported or opposed a possible navy takeover of Gaza by Israel and stated his administration’s focus was on growing meals entry to the Palestinian territory below assault from Washington’s ally. “I do know that we’re there now attempting to get individuals fed,” Trump informed reporters on Tuesday. “So far as the remainder of it, I actually can’t say. That’s going to be just about as much as Israel.” Trump stated Israel and Arab states had been going to assist with meals and help distribution in Gaza and supply monetary help. He didn’t elaborate.

• The chief of Lebanon’s Hezbollah warned on Tuesday that if Israel intensified its navy operations towards his group, the Iran-backed armed faction would resume firing missiles towards Israel. Naim Qassem’s feedback got here as Lebanon’s cupboard was assembly to debate Hezbollah’s disarmament.

• Gaza’s civil defence company stated 26 individuals had been killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes on Tuesday, together with 14 who had been ready close to an help distribution web site. Civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal informed AFP that eight individuals had been killed by Israeli gunfire whereas ready for help close to the southern metropolis of Khan Younis.