More than 90 people, including 20 children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Gaza. The attack was the deadliest in months as Israel waged a renewed assault on the Palestinian enclave. This came after the Israeli parliament outlawed a key United Nations aid agency, UNRWA, that supplies medicine, food, and education to Gaza.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah named a new leader after Israel killed its powerful chief and his presumed successor. In Gaza, the strike hit a five-story building in Beit Lahia, killing 93 people, with dozens more injured and missing. The assault has led to over 43,000 casualties, with no doctors available to treat the wounded due to an Israeli siege on hospitals.
The Knesset passing the law to ban UNRWA has raised concerns about exacerbating the crisis in Gaza. The agency was established in 1949 to aid Palestinians displaced during the creation of Israel and is a critical humanitarian player in Gaza. Israel’s allies, including the United States, have criticized the ban, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressing deep concern.
The ban on UNRWA comes amidst international condemnation of Israel’s actions, with other countries expressing grave concern over the impact on essential humanitarian aid in Gaza. The move has been seen as a campaign to discredit and delegitimize the agency, with accusations of violating international law. The law will severely restrict or prevent UNRWA’s activities in Gaza and the West Bank, controlled by Israel.
Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com