RAMALLAH -- Palestine said on Thursday that obtaining its full UN membership is the right path to the two-state solution for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that "any political initiative to stop the war and resolve the conflict that is not based on the full membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations and its recognition by Western countries and America will fail."

The ministry welcomed all regional and international efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, protect Palestinian civilians, and release hostages and prisoners.

Earlier Thursday, the U.S. newspaper The Washington Post published a plan that the U.S. administration is formulating with Arab countries, which includes "the completion of a detailed and comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and the Palestinians, including a solid timetable for peace and the establishment of the state."

According to the plan, the Palestinian state that will be created is expected to be announced "in the coming weeks."

The last round of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, sponsored by the United States, broke down in 2014 largely because of their divisions on the settlement issues.

The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, while Israel insists that the entire city of Jerusalem is its eternal indivisible capital.

UNITED NATIONS -- The ongoing conflict in Gaza is casting long shadows over Yemen, complicating an already intricate situation, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said on Wednesday.

Grundberg briefed the UN Security Council on the "steady progress" in mediation efforts in Yemen, disrupted by the recent Gaza crisis and escalating military activities in the Red Sea.

"As much as I have tried to insulate the peace process from wider regional dynamics, the reality is that mediation efforts in Yemen cannot be neatly cordoned off," he said, emphasizing the interconnectedness of regional events and their impact on Yemen.

Despite these challenges, Grundberg noted that "efforts to resolve the crisis in Yemen will continue no matter what," when it is vital to preserve the political space and keep open the channels of communication.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi group stormed several northern cities and forced the Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.

The conflict has resulted in widespread displacement, food and medical shortages, and a cholera outbreak, prompting the UN to label the situation as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with millions of civilians in urgent need of assistance.

The recent Gaza conflict has further exacerbated Yemen's plight, adding layers of complexity to the ongoing violence and political instability, said the UN official.

Grundberg expressed concern over "worrying developments" within Yemen and a growing "sense of foreboding." He called for a regional de-escalation and urged Yemeni parties to avoid "military opportunism," focus instead on preserving the progress toward peace.

Grundberg called for a peaceful resolution that would offer Yemenis a better future.

According to UN data, in 2024, over 18.2 million people -- more than half the Yemeni population -- will need humanitarian assistance and protection services, among them over 11 million are children.

GAZA/JERUSALEM -- Israeli forces on Thursday stormed Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis after demolishing its southern wall, according to a statement from Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

The statement said the Israeli forces ordered medics to move all patients into an older building of the hospital which was not properly equipped for treatment.

In a press statement sent to Xinhua, Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said the Israeli attacks on Nasser Hospital repeated "the horrific crimes that occurred in other hospitals in Gaza, including the Shifa Medical Complex, when it forced the displaced people to evacuate and targeted them with fire and arrested them."

She said Nasser Hospital, which had been under siege for 25 consecutive days, hosted 300 health personnel, 450 patients and wounded, and more than 10,000 displaced people.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the army was conducting a "precise and limited" mission in Nasser Hospital to find and return the bodies of hostages, adding that the operation was based on "credible intelligence from a number of sources."

He also emphasized there is "no obligation for patients or staff to evacuate the hospital," as the IDF has coordinated the transfer of medical supplies and equipment and sent doctors and officers to communicate with patients and staff inside the hospital.

JERUSALEM -- Israel said it did not receive any new proposals from Hamas for the ceasefire and hostage-release deal at the Cairo meeting attended by Qatari, Egyptian, and U.S. negotiators.

"Israel has not received any new proposal from Hamas for the release of our hostages," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement, in a first official comment on the Tuesday meeting, which was attended also by Israel's Mossad chief.

The office said that Netanyahu "insists that Israel will not yield to Hamas' outrageous demands" and that "a change in Hamas' positions will allow progress in negotiations."

Earlier on Wednesday, media reports quoting American officials said that no breakthrough was achieved, but progress was made at the talks.

Hamas, a Palestinian armed group that runs Gaza, is demanding an end to the war in exchange for the release of hostages, while Israel agrees only to a time-limited ceasefire. Both sides are willing to include the release of Palestinian prisoners in the deal, but there is also disagreement over the number of prisoners to be released.

The meeting came amid increasing international calls to end the 131-day war, which claimed the lives of at least 28,576 Palestinians in Gaza and about 1,400 Israelis.

GENEVA -- Military operations in Rafah could lead to a slaughter in Gaza and put a fragile humanitarian operation at death's door, UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths warned Tuesday.

In a statement issued here, he noted the warnings from the international community against the dangerous consequences of a ground invasion in Rafah in southern Gaza, saying that the government of Israel cannot continue to ignore these calls.

He said people in Rafah and the rest of Gaza are victims of an assault that is unparalleled in its intensity, brutality and scope.

Stressing that humanitarian workers have been doing the near-impossible to assist people in need for more than four months, he warned that "we lack the safety guarantees, the aid supplies and the staff capacity to keep this operation afloat."

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Tuesday cited the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza as reporting that another 133 Palestinians were killed, and 162 Palestinians were injured, mostly in Rafah and Khan Younis, by Israeli attacks within 24 hours.

CAIRO -- The negotiations on a ceasefire in the war-torn Gaza Strip, which are ongoing in the Egyptian capital Cairo, are "positive," Egyptian media reported on Tuesday.

The talks will last for three days, al-Qahera News TV channel quoted a high-ranking Egyptian source as saying.

A quadrilateral security meeting attended by Egypt, the United States, Qatar, and Israel kicked off Tuesday in Cairo to discuss the facilitation of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and detainee swap.

BEIJING -- China called on Israel to stop military operations as soon as possible and prevent a more devastating humanitarian disaster in Gaza's Rafah, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The spokesperson made the remarks when asked to comment on Israeli large-scale airstrikes in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which caused heavy casualties, and the Israeli military's plan to launch ground offensive against Rafah.

The spokesperson said that China is closely watching the developments in Rafah. "We oppose and condemn acts against civilians and international law. We call on Israel to stop military operations as soon as possible, do everything possible to avoid casualties among innocent civilians and prevent a more devastating humanitarian disaster in Rafah," the spokesperson said.

JERUSALEM -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) raided Rafah City early Monday morning and rescued two Israeli hostages being held in Gaza. The raids have killed more than 100 people and injured hundreds more, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry.

Analysts warned that Israeli military operations in Rafah, including raids and the potential large-scale invasion, are bound to trigger a more serious humanitarian crisis and tense the regional situation.

Humanitarian crisis worsen

The Israeli army confirmed on Monday morning that it launched a joint operation with other special forces and rescued two hostages who were abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023. There was heavy exchange of fire with Hamas militants during the raids, while aerial fire was also activated, according to a military statement.

As a result of airstrikes, the Kuwait Hospital in Rafah is "overwhelmed with seriously wounded patients and lacks sufficient medications and supplies," the official Palestinian news agency WAFA quoted the hospital director as saying.

Since the conflict broke out, Israel has been urging civilians in the Strip to evacuate to safe areas in southern Gaza. As a result, over a million people poured into Rafah to seek shelter, most of them living in tents.

Now, Rafah is also set to become a battlefield. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday asked the IDF and security agencies to formulate a plan for ground operations in Rafah. He told ABC News on Saturday that Israel would "lose the war without entering Rafah."

Strong opposition

Israeli intention of invading Rafah has been widely criticized at home and abroad. Israeli columnist Gideon Levy warned on Sunday that "it is impossible to invade Rafah now without committing war crimes."

The international community also strongly opposed Israel's attack plan. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that "indiscriminate bombing of densely populated areas may amount to war crimes" under international humanitarian law.

Regional countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, voiced on Monday deep concern over the potential invasion.

Furthermore, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who is slated to visit Israel later this week, urged Israel to "alleviate the suffering of civilians as much as possible" in a post on her X account, saying an Israeli offensive on Rafah would be a humanitarian "catastrophe."

Situation may worsen

Analysts noted that due to the spillover of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the situation in the Middle East might become even worse.

Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah have been clashing in the border area since last October. Yemen's Houthi group frequently attacked ships associated with Israel and other Western countries in the Red Sea while the United States subsequently launched retaliatory actions. U.S. military also launched air strikes in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for attacks on its military bases in Jordan.

Palestinian political analyst Eyad Abu Zanit told Xinhua that the Israeli government's high-profile announcement of a ground attack on Rafah was a "political deception" to put pressure on Hamas and force it to make concessions in ceasefire negotiations. However, this trick may not lead to the expected result, as Hamas stated on Sunday that any attack on Rafah would torpedo the exchange negotiations.

Israel's massive attack on Rafah may further intensify its relations with Arab countries and plunge the regional security situation into greater turmoil, analysts have warned.

Israel's massive attack on Rafah may cause a large number of Palestinian refugees to flee to neighboring Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, which Egypt has always strongly opposed. It is reported that Egypt has recently strengthened its military deployment in the Sinai Peninsula to maintain border security.

GAZA/JERUSALEM -- The death toll in the Israeli army's heavy strikes on the southern city of Rafah and surrounding areas of the Gaza Strip exceeded 100 on Monday, with hundreds of injuries, including women and children, reported the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

About 40 airstrikes on the Rafah area in the early hours of Monday were conducted by the Israeli army, with intensive ground shelling, it said.

The Israeli army said it rescued two hostages after a special forces operation in Rafah. The two were then hospitalized and "in good medical condition."

Israel conducted "a series of strikes on terror targets" in southern Gaza on Monday, the Israeli army said in a statement earlier.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden discussed the ongoing efforts to free hostages held in Gaza and to facilitate more aid into the Palestinian enclave over the phone.

An Israeli government official told Xinhua that the conversation focused on the hostages, approximately 100 of them are still in Gaza after being kidnapped during Hamas's attack on Oct 7, 2023.

Additionally, the two leaders discussed Israel's declared plan to launch a ground offensive in Rafah, as well as the facilitation of more aid into Gaza.

Since the start of the conflict, about half of the residents there have fled to Rafah, adjacent to Egypt, in search of safety.

The border city, which receives food and medicine aid from foreign countries and UN agencies through the Rafah crossing, is crowded with tents on empty agricultural lands, in schools and along roadsides.

The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 28,176 since Oct 7, 2023, with 67,784 others injured, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

GAZA -- Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip during the past 96 hours have killed two Israeli hostages and seriously injured eight others, said the Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, in a statement on Sunday.

The conditions of the injured "are becoming more dangerous in light of the inability to provide them with appropriate treatment, and the enemy (Israel) bears full responsibility for the lives of these injured in light of the continued bombings and aggression," the statement read.

Meanwhile, Hamas on Sunday warned of any Israeli ground operation in the southernmost Gazan city of Rafah, saying that it will "blow up" the hostage exchange negotiations, the Hamas-run al-Aqsa TV quoted an unnamed senior Hamas leader as saying.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate the movement's surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people in Israel were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

So far, the death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks has risen to 28,176, with 67,784 others being injured, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

GAZA - At least 25 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli bombing of a house in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah on Sunday, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Many displaced people were living in the house at the time of the bombing, and dozens of others were injured, said the report.

Mayor of Rafah Ahmed Al-Sufi warned on Saturday that: "Israeli bombings have escalated in recent hours in Rafah, paving the way for a military operation in the city."

The Hamas-run government media office also warned of a "global catastrophe" if Israel carries out a military operation in Rafah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday instructed the army to prepare plans for a ground operation in Rafah, the southernmost Gazan city to which over half of the 2.3 million Gaza residents fled during the conflict.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza on Oct 7 last year, about half of the residents there have fled to Rafah, adjacent to Egypt, in search of safety.

The number of displaced residents has grown after the Israeli army launched one of its largest attacks on Khan Younis, adjacent to Rafah, weeks ago.

The border city, which receives food and medicine aid from foreign countries and UN agencies through the Rafah crossing, is crowded with tents on empty agricultural lands, in schools and along roadsides.

CAIRO - The Egyptian presidency, in response to U.S. President Joe Biden's statement, said Friday that Egypt has opened the Rafah crossing to enable the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip since "the first moment" of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

"Egypt has mobilized massive humanitarian aid and relief from itself and other countries," the presidency said, adding that the persistent bombing of the Palestinian side of the crossing by Israel four times obstructed the aid delivery process.

On Thursday, speaking to reporters, Biden said, "Initially, the president of Mexico, Sisi, did not want to open the gate to (allow) humanitarian material to get in," mistakenly calling Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the leader of Mexico.

"Egypt endured immense pressure and challenges to smooth the inflow and increase the amount of aid to Gaza," the statement underscored, adding that 80 percent of the aid provided to Gaza came from the Egyptian government, people, and civil societies.

The statement reiterated the Egyptian efforts to reach a ceasefire and protect the civilians.

Israel has been waging a massive military campaign against Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, after the movement's surprise attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. The Israeli blockade and bombardment of Gaza have so far killed nearly 28,000 Palestinians, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said Friday.

The aid trucks first entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Oct. 21, 2023, while wounded people and foreign passport holders have been entering the Egyptian side since the beginning of last November.

CAIRO -- A new round of negotiations on reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will kick off in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday, according to Egyptian media outlets.

Egypt's al-Qahera News TV channel reported that Cairo will host a new round of negotiations under Egyptian-Qatari sponsorship, with the goal of bringing calm to the Gaza Strip and releasing Palestinian prisoners and Israeli detainees.

Egypt urged all parties to show the necessary flexibility to reach calm in the war-torn territory, the channel quoted an official Egyptian source as saying.

Egypt and Qatar announced on Tuesday that they had received the response of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on a Gaza ceasefire proposal nailed during a recent meeting in France.

Last November, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States mediated a temporary truce lasting for a week between Israel and Hamas, during which dozens of Israeli and Palestinian detainees were exchanged.

Israel launched a massive military offensive against Hamas in Gaza after Hamas' surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 Israelis.

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza has risen to 27,708 since the onset of the conflict, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said Wednesday.

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas's proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

"Caving into the delusional demands of Hamas will result in another massacre," said Netanyahu at a press conference.

Netanyahu's remarks came hours after Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that runs Gaza, presented a set of terms in response to a ceasefire proposal brokered by Qatar.

It included the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and the reconstruction of Gaza, which has been devastated by the Israeli strikes. Hamas also seeks a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to the ongoing war, proposing a ceasefire plan consisting of three phases, each lasting 45 days.

Netanyahu repeated his stance that Israel will continue the war until "a total victory" over Hamas. "Tonight, I came to tell you one thing: We are on the way to a total victory. Victory is within reach. It's not a matter of years but of months," said Netanyahu.

According to the Israeli prime minister, since Oct 7, 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed or wounded 20,000 militants in Gaza, which constitute "more than half of the Hamas forces."

"We instructed the IDF, which is now in Khan Younis, the last stronghold of Hamas, to prepare to operate in Rafah as well," he said.

Rafah is Gaza's southernmost city, a zone previously designated as a safe zone by the Israeli army and to which more than half of Gaza's over 2 million population had fled.

Netanyahu said he told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during their meeting in Jerusalem earlier on Wednesday, that after Hamas is "eliminated," Gaza should be demilitarized to ensure it will not pose a security threat to Israel.

"It means that Israel will stay in Gaza," he said.

Netanyahu also repeated his call to close the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Last week, Israel accused 12 UNRWA employees of taking part in a fierce onslaught by Hamas on southern Israeli communities on Oct 7, 2023, leading to at least 17 countries suspending UNRWA funding.

The Israel-Hamas conflict has so far claimed the lives of 27,708 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry on Wednesday.

JERUSALEM -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Israel on Wednesday that further efforts are needed on a hostage-for-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas but expressed optimism such a deal can be achieved.

Blinken landed in Israel on Wednesday as part of his fifth trip to the region since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct 7, 2023.

One day following talks with negotiators in Qatar, the US secretary of state aims to brief senior officials about the efforts to broker a ceasefire deal.

The Gulf country reportedly mediated a gradual agreement whereby Israel would halt military operations in exchange for the release of hostages from Gaza and Palestinian detainees from Israel.

"We're looking at it intensely, as is, I know, the government of Israel," said Blinken in joint statements alongside Israel's President Isaac Herzog.

"There's a lot of work to be done, but we are very much focused on doing that work and hopefully being able to resume the release of hostages that was interrupted," he added.

Blinken also reiterated his call for Israel to allow more aid into the Gaza Strip, where an Israeli retaliatory offensive has killed over 27,700 people, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, he raised warnings from the United Nations about an impending famine.

"We all have an obligation to do everything possible to get the necessary assistance to those who so desperately need it, and the steps that are being taken, additional steps that need to be taken, are the focus of my meetings here," said Blinken.

Earlier Wednesday, Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that Israeli far-right protesters, along with a few family members of hostages, blocked the Kerem Shalom crossing, a passageway for vehicles between Israel and Gaza.

It was the second consecutive day that protesters blocked the crossing to prevent aid trucks from entering the Palestinian enclave.

GAZA -- The death toll of Palestinians killed from Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip has risen to 27,478, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Monday.

During the past 24 hours, at least 113 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks in various places in the Gaza Strip, raising the total number of deaths to 27,478, the ministry said in a press statement.

The ministry added that with heavy Israeli bombardment and the lack of civil defense and ambulance crews, some victims are still under the rubble.

Meanwhile, the number of wounded people has also risen to 66,835 since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct 7, 2023, the ministry explained.

RAMALLAH -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to step up international efforts to stop the ongoing Israeli "aggression" against the Palestinian people.

Abbas made the remarks during his meeting at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah with the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Abbas called on Guterres to continue his personal efforts and intensify international efforts "to withdraw Israeli occupation forces from the entire Gaza Strip and not to confiscate any inch of its land," WAFA reported.

Abbas underlined the need to ensure an increase in humanitarian aid, relief materials, and shelter for the Palestinians.

He also stressed the importance of preventing the displacement of Palestinians and stopping all attacks by "occupation forces and settlers", as well as the release of all Palestinian clearance funds.

Abbas said it was important to achieve full membership for the State of Palestine in the United Nations through a decision of the Security Council and holding an international peace conference to ensure the withdrawal of Israelis from Palestine.

GAZA - The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 27,365, while 66,630 others were wounded, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said Sunday.

During the past 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 127 Palestinians and wounded 178 others in Gaza, the ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qedra said in a press statement.

According to Palestinian security sources, Israel's air and artillery strikes continued in most parts of the strip, with its aircraft targeting dozens of homes in Khan Younis and a vehicle in Rafah in the south of the enclave.

Eyewitnesses said clashes between the Palestinian armed factions and the Israeli forces continued, especially in Gaza City and areas of northern Gaza.

Since Oct 7, 2023, Israel has been launching a large-scale military campaign against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a surprise Hamas attack on southern Israel, which claimed the lives of about 1,200 Israelis, according to the Israeli authorities.

GENEVA - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday over 100,000 Gazans are injured, missing or presumed dead as the situation deteriorates in the enclave. The figure makes up 4.3 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million population.

Speaking to a United Nations weekly briefing via video link from Jerusalem, Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, said the rest of the population faces dire circumstances, struggling to secure their basic needs of safety, food, health and warmth.

Central Gaza is witnessing an escalation of hostilities, further crippling access to existing health facilities, he said.

CRIPPLED ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE

Expressing deep concern over the lack of sustained access to hospitals for both patients and health workers, Peeperkorn said only 13 out of the 36 hospitals were partially functioning in Gaza, and merely 13 of the 73 primary healthcare centers were operational.

The ongoing conflict and hostility had disrupted healthcare services, making it challenging to provide adequate treatment for both war-related injuries and chronic illnesses.

"We estimate now that a minimum of 8,000 Gazans should be referred," Peeperkorn said. Of these in need, 6,000 suffered war injuries and multiple traumas, and only a small fraction had been successfully transferred through the southern city of Rafah, he added.

Access to northern Gaza remained severely restricted, with WHO's requests to reach health facilities in the area being consistently denied.

At the Gaza European Hospital, where 22,000 people sought shelter, medical supplies were insufficient, and risks were mounting for diseases to spread. Health workers face immense challenges, balancing care for patients and their own families. Some had been working day in, day out for three months straight.

The Al Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis was down to a single ambulance, and patients had to be transported with donkey carts. With 400 patients and a shortage of specialists, the hospital's ability to provide adequate care is at risk.

GRAVE HEALTH ISSUES

The humanitarian crisis extended beyond healthcare, with food insecurity and water contamination creating fertile ground for the spread of infectious diseases.

The WHO representative in Gaza cited alarming statistics: over 245,000 recorded cases of respiratory infections, 160,000 cases of diarrhea among children under five, and nearly 70,000 cases of scabies and lice. Malnutrition had become a significant concern, exacerbated by limited food distribution within Gaza.

Attacks against healthcare facilities were also highlighted, with Peeperkorn reporting 342 recorded attacks resulting in 627 fatalities and 783 injuries. Sixty-one health workers were currently detained, further crunching the already strained healthcare system.

Ahmed Dahir, head of the WHO sub-office in Gaza, said thousands of people were fleeing to Rafah in search of food and safety, with many visibly thin and weak due to the lack of food.

The sick and injured struggled to find adequate healthcare, but hostilities around major medical facilities obstructed access for patients and healthcare providers, he said.

HARPER WOODS, Michigan — US President Joe Biden campaigned on Thursday in the crucial swing state of Michigan, where growing anger among the public at his pro-Israel policies threatens to cut into already tight margins of support.

Biden was welcomed to the Midwestern state in part by pro-Palestinian protesters accusing him of supporting a "genocide" in Gaza, with a demonstration taking place near his meeting with members of the United Auto Workers union, whose leadership recently endorsed him.

As the Israeli military keeps pounding Hamas in Gaza, Biden is finding himself confronted regularly at public events by protesters and hecklers demanding a cease-fire.

The Democrat began his Michigan visit by chatting with diners in a restaurant popular with African Americans — another demographic whose support he needs as he seeks reelection and the defeat of his likely challenger Donald Trump.

However, he risks losing the votes of the state's sizable community of Muslims and people of Arab heritage this November. That could be a problem in an election decided by tiny margins.

Michigan is one of a handful of swing states that could go either way in November, playing a decisive role in the electoral math during a close election.

In an illustration of the tensions, Biden's campaign manager went last week to Dearborn, home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States, only to be snubbed by the Detroit suburb's mayor.

Dearborn city's mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, had earlier written on X that he refused to meet with Biden's campaign manager.

Biden did not meet with any representatives of the Arab-American community while in the state, though senior administration officials will soon visit Michigan to do so, the White House said.

The president has asked Congress for billions of dollars in additional military aid to Israel and his government has vetoed multiple United Nations Security Council calls for a cease-fire in the conflict.

Before leaving Washington for Thursday's trip, Biden announced sanctions against four hard-line Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians in the West Bank.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the order on Thursday, saying in a statement that the "absolute majority" of West Bank settlers are "law-abiding citizens".

Agencies via Xinhua