World
Israel To Continue Gaza War With Or Without International Support – PM Says
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Israel to continue Gaza war with or without international support, FM says
By Solomon Israel
Israel’s foreign minister has said it will continue the war in Gaza “with or without international support”.
A ceasefire at this stage of the conflict would be “a gift” to Hamas and allow it to return, Eli Cohen warned.
Israel is facing mounting pressure over the number of Palestinian civilians killed by its military in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian crisis there.
On Tuesday, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.
And in his strongest comments yet, US President Joe Biden said Israel was losing support worldwide because of its “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza.
Intense fighting continued in both the north and south of Gaza on Wednesday, while heavy rains worsened conditions for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people who are living in makeshift tents or out in the open.
A senior UN aid official also warned that the Palestinian territory faced a “public health disaster” because of the collapse of its medical system and the spread of infectious diseases in overcrowded shelters.
The war was triggered by an unprecedented attack by Hamas gunmen on southern Israel on 7 October, in which at least 1,200 people – including many women and children – were killed and about 240 taken hostage.
Since then, more than 18,600 people have been killed in Gaza, about 70% of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
