GENEVA - The World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a humanitarian and health catastrophe in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday as humanitarian space and access to medical services continue to shrink.

Speaking at a United Nations weekly briefing via video link from Gaza, Sean Casey, WHO emergency medical teams coordinator, highlighted the "dramatically bad" situation in the entire Gaza Strip. The health system is collapsing rapidly, and there has been no letup in the intensity of conflict over the past weeks, he said.

"Hospitals are closing, patients are lacking access to health facilities, health workers are being forced to flee for their safety," Casey said.

The bloody fighting has intensified in central and southern areas, straining over-burdened hospitals that remain open.

The three most important hospitals in those areas, European Gaza Hospital, Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Aqsa, were the lifeline for south Gaza which was currently sheltering over two million people, said Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The Al-Aqsa hospital lost 70 percent of its staff, who fled with families for safety reasons, as did Nasser Medical Complex, one of the last trauma centers in service. The evacuation of medical staff has made hospitals non-functional.

Thousands of patients left Al-Aqsa for other hospitals which were already bursting at the seams. They were only moving from one bad situation to another, as there were no safe places in Gaza, Casey said.

Compared with 3,500 hospital beds prior to the conflict, Gaza has only around 1,400 now, but the situation required at least 5,000, said Peeperkorn.

The conflict has displaced 1.9 million people, a staggering 85 percent of Gaza's population, and left civilians in the besieged Palestinian territory at risk of famine and disease, said the United Nations.

The WHO, together with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, tried to assess the levels of infectious diseases, saying more than 81,000 cases of diarrhea have been recorded, up from 2,000 in normal times.

The resolution adopted by the WHO Executive Board last month called for immediate, sustained and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief in Gaza, but humanitarian access has become even more limited. Every day, aid deliveries in Gaza were being denied, said Peeperkorn.

WHO has been denied access to the north for two weeks and was forced to cancel six planned missions. The team was ready to deliver aid but had not been able to receive the necessary permissions.

"Every day we line up our convoys, we wait for clearance and don't get it," Casey said. "And then we come back and we do it again the next day."

Speaking of children who had limbs amputated, Casey said the amputations were happening due to delayed access to care and the lack of resources at hospitals.

There was also a lack of surgeons and operating space. With the limited resources, Peeperkorn said the medical staff constantly had to make tough choices, including doing amputations that should have been unnecessary to save as many lives as possible.

JERUSALEM - United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed in Tel Aviv on Tuesday with Israeli officials the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and urged the Israeli side to protect civilians in Gaza.

Blinken's visit marks his fourth trip to Israel since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October last year. The international community is increasingly concerned about Israeli attacks in Gaza, as the death toll in the Palestinian enclave has surpassed 23,000 and approximately 2 million people were displaced amid a severe humanitarian crisis.

In his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken stressed "the importance of avoiding further civilian harm and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza", according to a statement released by his office.

He also reaffirmed his country's support for Israel's right to prevent the attacks of Oct 7 from being repeated.

Blinken and Netanyahu discussed "ongoing efforts" to release all remaining hostages and the US demand for increasing "the level of humanitarian assistance reaching civilians in Gaza", the office said.

"The Secretary reiterated the need to ensure lasting, sustainable peace for Israel and the region, including by the realization of a Palestinian state," the statement read.

The Israel war cabinet declined Blinken's request to permit civilians to return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, saying it would allow it only after Hamas had released all of the hostages. However, the war cabinet approved Blinken's request to allow a United Nations delegation to visit the northern Gaza Strip.

Blinken also met Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the Israeli war cabinet in Tel Aviv.

Gallant told Blinken that operations in the area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip are expected to "intensify and continue until Hamas leadership is detected, and Israeli hostages return home safely".

Blinken arrived in Israel on Tuesday after visiting Turkiye, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday, he will travel to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before he departs for Cairo.

JERUSALEM - The exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah escalated Tuesday on the Israel-Lebanon border, with Israel claiming the killing of the Lebanese militant group's two senior commanders.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Daniel Hagari admitted that Israel was behind the assassination of Ali Hussein Barji, a Hezbollah commander, in Lebanon earlier Tuesday, a day after it killed the senior commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan forces, Wissam Hassan Tawil.

At a press briefing, Hagari said Barji, who was killed in an airstrike, had been identified as the southern Lebanon commander of Hezbollah's Aerial Unit, also the Hezbollah figure that led "dozens" of drone attacks against Israel, including an attack on an Israeli army base on Tuesday.

The IDF on Tuesday carried out several strikes on southern Lebanon, killing three Hezbollah members who, according to Hagari, were attempting to launch drones at Israel. Meanwhile, in northern Israel, air raid sirens wailed throughout the day and into the night as rockets and combat drones were launched by Hezbollah. No casualties were reported on the Israeli side.

The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have killed 211 people on the Lebanese side, including 154 Hezbollah members and 35 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it was "expanding" its assaults in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, where at least 40 Palestinian militants were killed over the past day.

"Soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade combat team are fighting in the heart of Khan Younis, eliminating terrorists in close-quarter battles and with sniper fire," the army said. The troops "are locating numerous weapons, including arms, grenades, and ammunition", it added.

Despite international calls for the protection of civilians in Gaza, including by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was on a visit to the Middle East, Israel said it would intensify strikes in southern Gaza.

In his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken stressed "the importance of avoiding further civilian harm and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza", according to a statement released by his office.

In a separate meeting, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Blinken that operations in the area of Khan Younis are expected to "intensify and continue until Hamas leadership is detected, and Israeli hostages return home safely".

Blinken's visit, his fourth trip to the region since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October last year, comes amid increasing international concerns about the Gaza situation. The death toll in the Palestinian enclave has risen to 23,210, and approximately two million people were displaced amid a severe humanitarian crisis, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, the IDF confirmed on Tuesday that at least nine Israeli soldiers were killed in the Gaza operation on Monday, bringing the total number of casualties among troops to 519, with 2,465 more injured.

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Monday evening that Israel was behind the assassination of an elite Hezbollah commander, Wissam Hassan Tawil, in Lebanon, reported Israeli media.

"Regarding the elimination in southern Lebanon, we took responsibility for it," Katz said, cited by Israel's Ynet news website. The minister said the killing was part of the ongoing conflicts on the Israel-Lebanon border.

This was the first time that an Israeli official confirmed that Israel had perpetrated the airstrike on Monday, killing Tawil, 48, commander of Hezbollah's Radwan Force, in his hometown of Khirbet Silem, some 10 km from the border.

Confrontations on the Lebanon-Israel border intensified on Monday, with Israel targeting several Lebanese villages that include Marwahin and Aita al-Shaab. At the same time, Hezbollah announced that its fighters struck the Israeli Ya'ara Barracks.

The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have killed 209 on the Lebanese side, including 154 Hezbollah members and 35 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources.

CAIRO -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas discussed on Monday the current situation in the Palestinian territories, mainly the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.

During a meeting in the Egyptian capital Cairo, Abbas reviewed the latest developments of the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip and the "catastrophic human tragedy" in the seaside enclave, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

In addition, Abbas talked about the Israeli escalation and violence in the West Bank, the statement added.

For his part, Sisi underlined Egypt's intensified efforts and ongoing contacts with various parties to push for a ceasefire and the immediate entry of humanitarian aid in sufficient quantities into Gaza, to end the suffering of civilians in the coastal territory.

Meanwhile, the two leaders stressed the pivotal role of the Palestinian Authority and the necessity of taking all measures to support it in fulfilling its role.

They also affirmed that the Palestinian issue requires the international community and active forces to assume the highest levels of historical, political and humanitarian responsibility, to work towards a just and comprehensive settlement, which includes the establishment and recognition of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Sisi and Abbas considered that this is the primary guarantee for security and stability in the region, categorically rejecting any efforts or attempts aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause or displacing Palestinians outside their lands.

Israel has been fighting with Hamas in the Gaza Strip since Oct 7, 2023, after the Palestinian faction launched a surprise attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. The Israeli army has so far killed more than 23,000 Palestinians in its military operations in the enclave, the Gaza-based health ministry said Monday.

RAMALLAH -- Palestine has agreed to receive tax funds held by Israel through the transfer via Norway, but Israel has rejected this US proposal, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye said Monday.

Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting held in Ramallah, he said Israel still rejects the US administration's proposals on the issue of clearing, such as transferring the money to Norway.

He said that the Palestinian Authority (PA) refused to accept clearance funds last month after Israel had deducted 517 million shekels ($139 million) from the total 750 million shekels.

Israel collects taxes on behalf of the PA on imports into Palestinian territories and transfers the funds monthly.

GAZA -- The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip exceeded 23,000, the Gaza-based health ministry said on Monday.

The ministry said in a press statement that the Israeli army killed 249 Palestinians and wounded 510 others during the past 24 hours.

This brings the total number of deaths to 23,084 and injuries to 58,926 since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct 7, 2023, it noted.

BEIRUT -- A senior Hezbollah commander and another member of the Shiite military group were killed on Monday in an Israeli drone attack targeting their car in the southern Lebanese village of Khirbet Selm, Hezbollah said in a statement.

Wissam Hassan Tawil, a high-level commander from Hezbollah's elite Radwan force, was killed along with Adham Cherri, in the Israeli attack earlier in the morning, said the military group.

Confrontations on the Lebanon-Israel border intensified on Monday, with Israel targeting several Lebanese villages that include Marwahin and Aita al-Shaab. At the same time, Hezbollah announced that its fighters struck the Israeli Ya'ara Barracks.

The Lebanon-Israel border witnessed increased tension since Oct. 8 after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attacks on Israel the previous day, prompting Israel to respond by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have killed 209 on the Lebanese side, including 154 Hezbollah members and 35 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources.

DOHA -- The Qatari emir stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire during his meeting on Sunday with the visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stressed the necessity of working towards an immediate ceasefire and protecting civilians, a sufficient and sustainable humanitarian aid delivery into all areas of the Gaza Strip, and working to reduce the escalation to ensure stability and security in the region, reported Qatar News agency.

Later in the day, Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani held a press conference in Doha with Blinken.

The prime minister of Qatar told reporters that the recent killing of a senior Hamas leader has impacted Qatar's mediation efforts in the Israel-Hamas conflict, while Qatar remains committed to continuing its mediation efforts.

He also emphasized that hostile actions in the Red Sea are unacceptable, constituting unfortunate consequences of the Gaza conflict.

For his part, Blinken stated that he would raise the issue of protecting civilians during his upcoming visit to Israel, adding that Palestinian civilians must be allowed to return to their homes and should not be forced to leave Gaza.

Blinken is currently on a tour of several Middle Eastern countries, seeking to de-escalate the situation in the wake of the killing of a senior Hamas leader, which has further intensified the crisis in the region.

JERUSALEM -- Israel's military chief said on Sunday that the conflict in Gaza, persisting for three months already, would likely last throughout 2024 and spill over to other fronts.

Herzi Halevi, the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), made the remarks during a visit to the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.

Halevi said 2024 would be "challenging" and that Israel would "certainly be involved in fighting in Gaza throughout the year," implying that the current full-scale conflict with Hamas, the Palestinian faction that rules Gaza, could ease but not end.

He also warned of a possible flare-up in violence "on other fronts, especially the West Bank," where tensions have risen since the start of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which started on Oct 7, 2023, following a surprise attack from Hamas.

Halevi also said the IDF would increase "the pressure it exerts" on Israel's northern border with Lebanon, where it has traded fire with Hezbollah, a Shi'ite militant group, in recent months.

"Hezbollah has decided to join this war. We are increasingly exacting a toll on them," he said, adding that the army had "a responsibility, a duty, to securely return northern residents to their homes."

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip rose to 22,835, and the injuries have reached 58,416, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said Sunday. Additionally, around 1,200 people in Israel have lost their lives due to the Hamas attack.

JENIN, Palestinian Territories - An air strike, gunfire and explosives across the West Bank killed eight Palestinians and two Israelis on Sunday, officials on both sides said as violence surges in the occupied territory.

Seven Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike in the area of Jenin refugee camp, a militant stronghold in the northern West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Israeli police said an officer was killed when her "vehicle... was hit by an explosive device" during a raid on the camp, adding that three other officers were wounded.

In a separate incident, a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli army fire in Abwein village north of Ramallah, said the health ministry. There was no immediate comment from the military.

Elsewhere in the Ramallah area, an Israeli civilian was shot dead, according to the army, which said forces were searching for the assailant.

The Israel man was "killed adjacent to the British police junction" north of Ramallah, it said in a statement.

AFP

JERUSALEM -- The Israeli army announced Saturday evening that it has dismantled the military framework of Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a press conference that in the north of the strip, Hamas had two military brigades with 12 battalions, "which had about 14,000 terrorists."

He added that "Hamas does not function in this region in an organized manner, and we have revoked the main terrorist capabilities in the area."

Hagari detailed the methods in which the Israeli army operated, including the elimination of commanders, ground combat, intelligence gathering, locating rockets and other means of warfare, and destroying the underground infrastructure.

He noted that the IDF located about 70 million intelligence files, including information on senior Hamas members in Gaza and beyond, along with computers, maps and radios.

The IDF spokesman affirmed that the fighting would take time and continue during 2024, adding that the army is now focusing on dismantling Hamas' operations in the center and south of the enclave.

"We will do it with a different method, in a comprehensive way and based on the lessons we have learned from the fighting so far," he noted.

GAZA -- Israeli army launched on Wednesday airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza Strip, causing dozens of people killed and injured, said the Gaza-based Health Ministry.

RAMALLAH -- A general strike on Wednesday took place in the West Bank after Hamas' deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri and other leaders of the Islamic militant group were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.

The strike, called by the Fatah movement and other factions, closed shops, markets, schools, universities, banks, and public and private offices.

The factions urged Arab countries and their people to take a "decisive and immediate stance" against the killing of al-Arouri and the commanders of the Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing.

They said in a statement that "the resistance continues" and declared "general national mourning and a general strike."

They also denounced the attack as "a cowardly and treacherous targeting on Arab land in an Arab capital," and called for a strong response from the Arab countries.

Al-Arouri, 57, is considered one of the prominent Hamas leaders and a founder of the al-Qassam Brigades and its cells in the West Bank.

He was imprisoned in Israel for more than 18 years and was deported by Israeli authorities from Palestinian territories upon his last release in 2010. In the same year, he was elected as a Hamas politburo member.

Israeli officials had recently threatened to assassinate Hamas leaders inside and outside the Palestinian territories, especially al-Arouri, who was accused by Israeli security agencies of funding militant cells in the West Bank.

GAZA/BEIRUT -- A Hamas source told Xinhua that the movement's deputy chief, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed on Tuesday evening in an Israeli attack on the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

The source added that several aides of al-Arouri were also killed in the attack targeting a Hamas office.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the incident.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's al-Jadeed TV confirmed the death of al-Arouri and three of his bodyguards in a building in Dahieh, a suburb in southern Beirut.

It added that the strike also killed civilians and injured about 20 others, with the accurate figure to be released later.

Lebanese civil defense units have rushed to the area to recover bodies, treat the injured, and transport them to nearby hospitals.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati accused Israel of "standing behind the incident," saying, "This explosion is a new Israeli crime that aims to bring Lebanon into a new phase of confrontations amid Israel's ongoing daily attacks in the south (of Lebanon), which have led to a big number of casualties."

Al-Arouri, born in the West Bank village of Arura near Ramallah in 1966, is considered one of the prominent leaders of Hamas and played a role in founding the Hamas armed wing, Qassam Brigades.

He was detained in Israeli prisons for more than 18 years and was deported by Israeli authorities from Palestinian territories upon his last release in 2010.

Al-Arouri was elected as the deputy head of the Hamas politburo, the movement's highest leadership body, in 2017.

Israeli officials had threatened to assassinate Hamas leaders inside and outside Palestinian territories in recent weeks, especially al-Arouri, whom Israeli security agencies accused of funding military cells in the West Bank.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, has previously warned Israel against any assassination attempts on Palestinian or Iranian leaders in Lebanon, vowing to retaliate against any such move.

The Lebanon-Israel border witnessed increased tension since Oct. 8 after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attack on Israel the previous day.

DAMASCUS -- Israel launched a missile attack early Tuesday on bases of the Syrian army west of the capital Damascus which were believed to host fighters of the Lebanese military group Hezbollah, according to the Syrian army and a war monitor.

The "Israeli enemy" carried out an aerial attack from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights at around 4:35 am local time (1:35 GMT) Tuesday, resulting in some material damage, the Syrian army said in a statement, without elaborating.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Israeli attack targeted the Artillery Company of the 121st Brigade of the Syrian Army, which it said is known to host fighters from Hezbollah, causing potential human casualties.

The Britain-based war monitor added that the airstrike served as a warning to Hezbollah and Iran amidst ongoing tensions in the region.

The incident is the first Israeli aerial attack on Syria in the year of 2024. It followed an attack carried out by Iranian-backed groups Monday evening, when missiles were launched toward the occupied Golan Heights from Syrian territories.

In response, Israel retaliated by attacking sites in the countryside of the southern provinces of Daraa and Quneitra. No human casualties were reported.

Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Rami Abdul-Rahman said that the areas targeted, including the southwestern countryside of Damascus, western Daraa province, and Quneitra province, are important operation zones for Hezbollah and local resistance forces against Israel.

In 2023 alone, Israel conducted a total of 76 airstrikes on Syrian territories, according to the observatory.

Israel has recently increased its attacks on Syrian targets in tandem with its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned the Israeli attacks and urged decisive measures from the United Nations Security Council to put an end to these assaults.

Syria has been engulfed in an over 12-year civil war, with the government forces of President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, fighting against various opposition groups.

Israel, on the other hand, has a long-standing policy of preventing Iran from establishing a military presence in Syria by repeatedly conducting airstrikes to destroy alleged Iranian weapons supplies.

GAZA -- The death toll of Palestinians has exceeded 22,000 after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct 7, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry said in a press statement that the Israeli army killed 207 Palestinians and wounded 338 others in the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours.

The new causalities bring the number of Palestinian deaths to 22,185 and injuries to 57,035 since Oct 7, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, Palestinian security sources told Xinhua that the Israeli attacks from the air, land and sea continued in most parts of the Gaza Strip during the past hours, especially on the refugee camps in central Gaza, while violent fighting between Israeli army and armed Palestinian militants were ongoing.

Israel launched air raids on the central and eastern part of Khan Younis, the largest city in the south of the coastal enclave, and used artillery to bomb the northern neighborhoods of the city, leading to a number of deaths, according to the sources.

Since Oct 7, Israel has been launching a large-scale military offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip after Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel, which claimed the lives of around 1,200 Israelis, according to Israeli authorities.

GAZA -- At least 15 Palestinians were killed and several others wounded Monday in an Israeli airstrike on the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, local Palestinian sources said.

The sources told Xinhua that the Israeli airstrike targeted a house that was occupied by displaced people who had fled their homes because of the ongoing Israeli offensive.

Rescue workers are currently searching for survivors under the rubble while reports of missing persons continue to emerge, the sources said.

Prior to the airstrike, the Gaza-based Health Ministry just updated on Monday the total Palestinian death toll to 21,978 since the conflict in the Palestinian enclave broke out on Oct 7, 2023.

JERUSALEM -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday it had arrested more than 2,550 wanted people in the West Bank since the outbreak of the conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Oct 7.

The IDF said in a statement that about 1,300 of the detainees were Hamas members.

On the night between Sunday and Monday, the IDF, the Israeli Security Agency (ISA), and the Border Police arrested 10 wanted people throughout the West Bank and confiscated many weapons, according to the statement.

The arrests were made in the town of Qatanna near Jerusalem, in the village of Beit Iba located near the city of Nablus, and in the town of Bani Na'im near the city of Hebron, it said, adding "terror" funds were confiscated in another Israeli operation in Hebron.

GAZA -- The death toll of Palestinians has risen to 21,978 after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct 7, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Monday.

Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qedra said in a press statement that the Israeli army killed 156 Palestinians and wounded 246 others in the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours.

The new causalities bring the number of Palestinian deaths to 21,978 and injuries to 56,697 since Oct 7, according to al-Qedra.

He said that Israeli attacks had killed 326 medical workers and forced 30 of the 35 hospitals in the Gaza Strip out of service.

Al-Qedra called on international organizations to protect the healthcare system and its personnel in the Gaza Strip and said his ministry was in talks with UN agencies on the restart of health centers in different regions of the Palestinian enclave.

He also stressed the need to send medical teams and field hospitals to the Strip to meet the enormous needs for health care.

He criticized the mechanism in place for the injured Palestinians to receive treatment outside the Gaza Strip, pointing out that only 645 wounded people have been able to do so thus far, accounting for 1 percent of the total population in need of medical attention.