U.S. defense chief urges Israel to do more to protect Gaza civilians. As the United States‘ campaign against Hamas has resulted in still more deaths and devastation among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Lloyd Austin, stated on Monday that the United States’ support for Israel is “unshakable.” However, he encouraged the country’s ally to take more measures to safeguard civilians.

While he was in Israel, Lloyd made the statement. He referred to Hamas as a “fanatical terrorist group” and stated that it should never again be permitted to launch strikes against Israel from Gaza.
His visit came at a time when international organizations and governments from other countries were becoming increasingly concerned about the number of people who had been killed as a result of Israeli bombardments in Gaza, as well as the rising rates of starvation and misery.

On Monday, the Gaza health ministry said that the Israeli assault on the Hamas-ruled enclave had resulted in the deaths of 19,453 Palestinians and the injuries of 52,286 others. The Israeli attack had lasted for more than two months when it began.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, has pledged to win a complete victory over Hamas. According to Israeli counts, Hamas fighters carried out a surprise invasion of Israel on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 240 hostages.

During a press conference held in Tel Aviv, Austin stated that he had a conversation with Yoav Gallant, the Minister of Defense of Israel, about ways to lessen the vulnerability of people in the war. Additionally, they discussed the possibility of shifting from a dispute of high intensity to one of lesser intensity.

“In any campaign, there will be phases,” Austin said. “There is no way.” “We will also continue to urge the protection of civilians during conflict and to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

The United States of America has recently taken a more critical stance against Netanyahu’s government, even though it continues to supply Israel with both military and diplomatic backing. A week ago, Vice President Joe Biden stated that Israel was in danger of losing support from the international community as a result of what he referred to as its “indiscriminate” bombardment.

On the other hand, Austin provided confidence on Monday by stating, “The United States of America is unwavering in its support for Israel’s security.” Not only Israel is not alone,

Meanwhile, Gallant stated that Israel will gradually transition to the next phase of its operations in Gaza and that displaced residents may be allowed to return to the northern part of the enclave by the beginning of the transition.

Austin expressed that both Israelis and Palestinians “deserve a horizon of hope” and reaffirmed the United States demands a two-state solution to the more significant Israeli-Palestinian problem. Following a meeting with Netanyahu over the weekend, Netanyahu made these statements. During the conversation, Netanyahu showed pleasure in his previous resistance to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Several hours after Austin’s speech, residents of Gaza reported an upsurge in the amount of Israeli air and tank fire that was occurring across the region. Medics said that twelve people had passed away. An Israeli air attack on a house in Rafah, which is located in the southern Gaza Strip, included three people; two of them were children, according to an Israeli official.

BEING STARVED
In large part, Gaza is in ruins as a result of the conflict. 2.3 million people live in the area, and food is limited. Additionally, essential services have failed, and the majority of people are homeless.

On Monday, Human Rights Watch accused Israeli soldiers of purposefully obstructing the transportation of water, food, and gasoline, destroying agricultural lands, and denying Palestinians access to commodities that are necessary for their survival.

“The Israeli government is using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in the occupied Gaza Strip,” Human Rights Watch (HRW), which has its headquarters in New York, stated in a report. “World leaders should be speaking out against this abhorrent war crime.”

In response, Israel referred to Human Rights Watch as an “antisemitic and anti-Israeli” organization that had no moral right to criticize it for its “silent” reaction to the massacre that Hamas carried out on October 7.

By embedding itself in residential areas, Israel claims that Hamas is to blame for the large number of deaths they have sustained. Israel denies targeting civilians. In addition, according to Tal Heinrich, a spokeswoman for the government, there are no limitations placed on the quantity of food and water that may be brought into Gaza.

A MOUNT OF DEATHS
Twelve Palestinians were killed and scores were injured, according to medical personnel in Deir al-Balah, which is located in the central region of Gaza. Meanwhile, in Rafah, which is located in the southern region of Gaza, an Israeli air assault on a house resulted in the deaths of at least four individuals.

The Gaza health ministry said that an Israeli tank shell struck the maternity facility inside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, resulting in the death of a 13-year-old girl who had already suffered the loss of a limb as a result of an earlier attack.

The Israeli military has announced the identities of four additional troops who were killed in battle in Gaza. This brings the total number of Israeli soldiers who have died in Gaza to 126 since the beginning of the ground incursion in late October.

There were reports of shootings between Israeli forces and Hamas gunmen in several locations around the restricted Gaza Strip. The militants claimed that they had launched a series of attacks, while residents reported hearing gunshots.

Reuters couldn’t corroborate the assertions made by either side about the current condition of operations. The male parent of four. Having relocated his family twice, Raed, 45, stated that Gazans were fatigued in their efforts to stay alive.

“The value of money has decreased, and the majority of things are no longer available. After enduring a night of bombardment, we got out of bed and went out into the streets to look for food. While we were doing this, we were exhausted,” he added in the Rafah region. “We want peace, truce, ceasefire, whatever they call it, but please stop the war.”

An Israeli army attack on the Faraa refugee camp resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians, according to the Palestinian health ministry, which reported on Monday that the violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank continued to escalate while simultaneously continuing to escalate.

In his statement, Austin stated that he had highlighted the necessity of taking immediate steps to stabilize the West Bank and that Jewish settlers must cease their crimes against Palestinians in that region.

THE DEATHS OF HOSTAGES REMOVE ISRAEL
The head of the Central Intelligence Agency, Bill Burns, is scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and the head of Israel’s Mossad espionage agency in Warsaw on Monday. The purpose of this meeting is to examine the possibility of a new agreement that would ensure the release of the Israeli prisoners.

But Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan, who was speaking in Beirut, stated that although the group was open to suggestions from Qatar and Egypt on a hostage swap, any conversations were off the table until Israel stopped its bombardment of Gaza. Hamas is a terrorist organization located in Lebanon.

In a video message that was uploaded to the internet, the armed wing of Hamas showed three elderly Israeli detainees appealing for their freedom.

One of the individuals, who identified himself as Haiem Bery and was 79 years old, stated in Hebrew that they were going through challenging circumstances and suffering from chronic ailments.

“We don’t understand why we have been abandoned here,” according to him. “You are obligated to free us from this place. It makes no difference how much it costs.”