U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel was fighting the armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon and “it is possible to work towards a ceasefire in Lebanon,” but added that despite the earlier death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, “Gadda “Things will be even more difficult for Sasha” this week.
He made the speech as he left Berlin, where he met with the leaders of Germany, France and Britain.
Sinwar’s death has raised hopes for an end to the war in Gaza.
But on Friday, Hamas deputy leader Khalil Haya insisted that this would only strengthen the group. He said the Israeli hostages would not be returned until Israel ends the war and withdraws its troops from Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel escalated its attack on the Jabaliya refugee camp, a densely populated area in northern Gaza City where Israeli forces have besieged the area for two weeks, and sent another force to support those already operating there. force.
Sinwar was responsible for Hamas’ deadly attack on Israeli communities near Gaza on October 7 last year, which left about 1,200 people dead and 251 others taken hostage in Gaza.
The Health Ministry, which is in charge of Hamas, said that subsequent Israeli military operations in Gaza have killed at least 42,500 people.
The Israeli military said earlier that Sinwar died when the building where he was hiding in the southern Gaza city of Rafah came under “tank fire”. It also noted that its troops engaged in a firefight with a group of “terrorists” before the building was targeted.
On Friday, the Israeli pathologist who performed his autopsy told US media that the cause of death was “severe traumatic brain injury” caused by a gunshot wound to the head.
Dr. Chen Kugel of the National Center for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv said he found wounds from “other sources” on the former Hamas leader, including injuries to his right forearm caused by “missile fire” and “from fallen masonry.” “He suffered injuries to his left leg” as well as shrapnel damage to his body.
“They caused serious damage, but the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head,” he told CNN.
Late on Friday, Reuters quoted Palestinian medical personnel as saying that the Israeli attack on Jabaliya hit multiple houses, killing at least 30 people and injuring many others.
Palestinian official news agency Wafa said at least 20 women and children were among the victims. There was no immediate comment from Israel.
Before the latest attack, the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza said at least 39 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza on Friday, many of them in Jabaliya.
Residents told Reuters that Israeli tanks had arrived in the center of Jabaliya under heavy airstrikes and artillery fire, adding that Israeli forces were destroying large numbers of homes every day.
Late on Friday, residents reported that communications had been cut off in Jabaliya and two other towns in northern Gaza.
Georgios Petropoulos, the head of the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Aid (OCHA), told the BBC’s NewsHour program on Friday that Jabaliya’s family was enduring a “brutal situation”.
“We cannot sound the alarm enough about how dire and dangerous the situation is for civilians there,” he said in a speech in Rafah, southern Gaza.
“Families in northern Gaza, especially those in the Jabaliya refugee camp surrounded by Israeli forces, are struggling to survive in harsh conditions under heavy bombardment.”
On Thursday, the Israeli military said it had killed several militants in close combat and dismantled military infrastructure.
Petropoulos added that he did not expect Sinwar’s death to make it easier to deliver aid to northern Gaza.
Little aid arrived in northern Gaza in October. Israel said it had delivered about 30 truckloads of supplies, including food, water, medical supplies and shelter equipment, to northern Gaza on Friday. But local health officials told Reuters that aid had yet to reach the worst-affected areas such as Jabaliya.
“We don’t see a path to peace in Gaza,” he said. “I still see children dying on hospital floors because of a lack of beds… and dialysis patients dying because there is no fuel to get to the hospital.”
Israel has repeatedly denied it is blocking aid from entering Gaza. However, the United States has asked Israel to strengthen access to humanitarian aid to Gaza, otherwise some of its military aid will risk being cut off.
On Friday, an Israeli minister told the BBC that Israel had “blocked off” parts of northern Gaza, including Jabaliya.
Amichai Chikli told the BBC News Hour: “We established a blockade with our troops. We allowed civilians to escape into safe areas and prevented supplies from entering the blockade, which is a very important area where Hamas is located. special area.
He insisted it was “legal under international law”.
