US, Qatar, Egypt had hoped to broker ceasefire ahead of Holy month
A Palestinian family prepares to break their fast
With no end to fighting sight, Palestinians in Gaza began fasting Monday for the holy month of Ramzan as hunger worsens across the strip and pressure grows on Israel over the growing humanitarian crisis. The United States, Qatar and Egypt had hoped to broker a cease-fire ahead of the normally joyous month of dawn-to-dusk fasting that would include the release of dozens of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of a large amount of humanitarian aid. However, the cease-fire talks stalled last week.
Smoke billowing in Khiam, Lebanon, during Israeli bombardment. Pic/AP
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Gaza’s Health Ministry said the bodies of 67 people killed by Israeli strikes were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, bringing the Palestinian death toll to more than 31,112 since the war began. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says that women and children make up two-thirds of the dead. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Ship with 200 tonnes of aid sails to Gaza
An aid ship loaded with some 200 tonnes of food set sail for Gaza on Tuesday in a pilot programme for the opening of a sea corridor to the territory, where the five-month-old Israel-Hamas war has driven hundreds of thousands of people to the brink of starvation. The food was gathered by World Food Kitchen, the charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, and is being carried on a barge attached to a ship belonging to the Spanish aid group Open Arms.
Silence guns: UN chiefs to Israel, Hamas
The United Nations chief is urging Israel and Hamas to honour the spirit of the Muslim holy month of Ramzan by “silencing the guns” and to show compassion by releasing all hostages seized by the militant group during its attack in southern Israel on October 7. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that Monday marks the start of Ramzan when “Muslims around the world celebrate and spread the values of peace, reconciliation and solidarity”.
Yet, in Gaza, “the killing, bombing and bloodshed continue,” he said, with civilian killings and destruction in the territory “at a level that is unprecedented” in his more than seven years as secretary-general. “The eyes of history are watching. We cannot look away,” said the U.N. chief.
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