TRANSCRIPT
According to the health ministry in Gaza, the death toll in the conflict between the military group Hamas and the Israeli Defence Forces has now gone beyond 11,000.
More than 4,500 of them are reported to be children.
The World Health Organization says 20 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are no longer functioning, including a paediatric hospital that has stopped operations after a reported Israeli strike in the area.
WHO spokesman Jens Laerke provides a bleak update.
“If there is a hell on earth today, its name is northern Gaza. People who remain there, the corners of their existence is death, deprivation, despair, displacement, and literally darkness. The entire Gaza Strip has been plunged into darkness since the 11th of October, when the electricity grid was shut down and fuel stopped entering.”
The IDF is said to be continuing its operations around hospitals in Gaza.
Videos on social media, verified by various media reports, have shown what appears to be a missile strike on the largest hospital in the area, Al-Shifa.
An IDF spokesperson says hospitals are being used by Hamas to "strategically position their terrorist capabilities" and that the Israeli troops will do what they need to.
Hamas has accused the United States for their part in the war, claiming the missile that struck the hospital was American-made.
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim says the United Nations are also responsible for allegedly not acting to provide aid to the people of Gaza through the Rafah crossing.
“We hold the United Nations and the international community responsible for the lives of the civilians, abandoned children, and the sick in the hospitals. We urge them to act quickly so that they are not also hostages under the will of the Nazi occupation.”
Palestinian envoy to the UN Ibrahim Khraishi has called on other nations to step in and bring an end to the bloodshed.
“I should like to address myself to those who call themselves the free world. You have to do your utmost to stop the bloodshed and to reach a ceasefire. And this is not a pretext to say that we are giving assistance worth 50 million here and 100 million here. You have to work with us in order to attack the crux of the problem, meaning ending the occupation.”
The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is continuing his diplomatic mission on the Indo-Pacific from India, has welcomed Israel's announcement of four-hour pauses in specific areas in Gaza as well as the creation of two humanitarian corridors to allow people to move out of harm's way.
But Mr Blinken says there is still more work to be done to protect civilians and ensure aid reached those in need.
"Far too many Palestinians have been killed, far too many have suffered these past weeks. And we want to do everything possible to prevent harm to them and to maximize the assistance that gets to them. To that end we will be continuing to discuss with Israel concrete steps that can be taken to advance these objectives. I will continue to focus relentlessly on getting our hostages home."
The UN's Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese has called Israel's decision to allow a four-hour humanitarian pause each day in their assault on Gaza a "cynical and cruel" move.
Ms Albanese told Channel 7 that the daily destruction of Gaza is devastating and an immediate ceasefire is needed.
"There has been continuous bombings, 6,000 bombs every week on the Gaza Strip, on this tiny piece of land where people are trapped and the destruction is massive. There won't be any way back after what Israel is doing to the Gaza Strip. So four hours ceasefire, yes, to let people breathe and to remember what is the sound of life without bombing before starting bombing them again. It's very cynical and cruel."
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, claiming that it would benefit Israel.
One day after hosting a humanitarian aid conference in Paris, the French President has said his country clearly condemns the actions of Hamas but while recognising Israel's right to defend itself, urged them to end the bombings of innocent women and children.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Macron has said that Israel must follow the rules of international law.
"I think this is the only solution we have. The ceasefire. Because it's impossible to explain 'we want to fight against terrorism by killing innocent people.'"
More than 100,000 residents of the Gaza Strip have fled southwards over the last two days as Israeli forces operate deep in Gaza City and negotiations continue for the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Chief IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari says the movement of the population is happening in an "organised manner" and in a way that does not interfere with the fighting.
He says there have also been reports about an agreement to free hostages.
But the Rear Admiral says people should be wary of anything that does not come from Israel.
"I say to the public: heed only official Israeli announcements. If and when there is something to communicate, we will communicate it first to the families, and after that to the public, through communication channels."
Israel has revised the number of people who were killed during the October 7 raids by Hamas near its southern border.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson has now provided a revised death toll of 1,200, against a previous government estimate of 1,400.
The spokesperson said the revised number was due to many bodies not identified immediately after the attack, which are now believed to belong to members of the military group.
