Gaza war's 'darkest moment' unfolding in north, UN says

The UN quality authorities main has said nan Gaza war's “darkest moment” is unfolding successful nan northbound of nan territory, wherever Israel has said it is carrying retired a crushed violative to extremity Hamas fighters from regrouping.

“As we speak, nan Israeli subject is subjecting an full organization to bombing, siege and consequence of starvation,” Volker Türk said.

He called connected world leaders to act, saying states had a work nether nan Geneva Conventions to guarantee respect for world humanitarian law.

There was nary contiguous consequence from nan Israeli military, but it has said its troops person killed “hundreds of terrorists” and evacuated 45,000 civilians successful Jabalia since going backmost into nan area connected 6 October.

It comes arsenic nan caput of nan World Health Organization (WHO) said he was profoundly disturbed by reports that Israeli troops had raided 1 of nan past functioning hospitals successful bluish Gaza.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said nan WHO had mislaid interaction pinch Kamal Adwan infirmary successful Beit Lahia, which was overflowing pinch almost 200 patients amid nan violative successful adjacent Jabalia.

Gaza’s Hamas-run wellness ministry said Israeli troops had detained patients, unit and displaced people, while Israel's subject said its forces were operating “in nan area” based connected intelligence “regarding nan beingness of terrorists".

Hundreds of Palestinians person reportedly been killed and tens of thousands displaced since Israeli forces went backmost into Jabalia.

Residents unwilling aliases incapable to comply pinch Israeli removal orders are said to beryllium surviving successful progressively hopeless conditions, pinch nutrient and different basal supplies moving out.

The UN quality authorities main warned connected Friday that nan full organization of bluish Gaza was being subjected to “non-stop” bombing, pinch hundreds of thousands ordered to move pinch nary guarantees of return.

“Unimaginably, nan business is getting worse by nan day,” Türk said.

“The Israeli government’s policies and practices successful bluish Gaza consequence emptying nan area of each Palestinians. We are facing what could magnitude to atrocity crimes, including perchance extending to crimes against humanity.”

He besides said it was wholly unacceptable that Palestinian equipped groups were reportedly operating among civilians, including wrong shelters for nan displaced, and putting them successful harm’s way.

Türk said countries astir nan world - each of them parties to nan Geneva conventions - had to enactment now to uphold them.

“These are universally accepted and binding norms developed to sphere nan very bare minimum of humanity. I implore you to put nan protection of civilians and quality authorities first and not to wantonness that minimum of humanity,” he said.

Significantly, Türk added that wherever location was a consequence of genocide, each states were legally bound to forestall it. Until now, elder UN figures person mostly avoided nan connection genocide successful narration to Gaza.

Israel has agelong accused nan UN of bias and rejected accusations that its forces person committed warfare crimes. It has besides vehemently denied that they are committing genocide against Palestinians successful Gaza.

On Friday morning, Gaza’s wellness ministry said successful a connection Israeli forces had “stormed” Kamal Adwan infirmary and were detaining hundreds of patients, aesculapian unit and displaced group inside.

In nan afternoon, nan ministry said displaced men had been forced to return disconnected their apparel and that immoderate had been arrested.

A number of aesculapian staff, including nan head of nan infirmary Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, had besides not been heard from since they were summoned to spot Israeli forces stationed successful nan courtyard, it added.

A video posted connected societal media precocious connected Thursday showed Dr Abu Safiya speaking connected nan telephone while stepping done a engaged ward pinch what appeared to beryllium a shatter model and a damaged ceiling.

“Instead of receiving assistance we person tanks. Tanks that are shelling nan building,” he says.

Eid Sabbah, nan head of nursing, said successful a sound statement to Reuters news agency early Friday: "At midnight, nan business service tanks and bulldozers reached nan hospital. The terrorising of civilians, nan injured and children began arsenic [the Israeli forces] started opening occurrence connected nan hospital.”

He said nan Israeli forces retreated erstwhile a delegation from nan WHO arrived pinch an ambulance and evacuated immoderate patients. However, tanks later returned to nan surrounding area and opened occurrence astatine nan hospital, hitting its oxygen stores, earlier troops began a ambush and ordered unit and patients to leave, he added.

The ministry said 2 children had died successful nan intensive attraction portion aft nan hospital’s generators stopped and nan oxygen position was hit, but location were nary akin reports from medics aliases nan WHO.

The Israeli subject said it was not alert of a vessel firing astatine nan hospital.

Dr Tedros confirmed that a WHO squad had reached nan infirmary connected Thursday nighttime “amid hostilities successful nan vicinity”, and transferred 23 patients and 26 caregivers to al-Shifa infirmary successful Gaza City. They besides delivered units of blood, trauma and surgical supplies.

But he added that nan UN agency had mislaid touch pinch unit astatine nan infirmary since nan reports of nan ambush emerged.

“Kamal Adwan Hospital has been overflowing pinch adjacent to 200 patients - a changeless watercourse of horrific trauma cases. It is besides afloat of hundreds of group seeking shelter,” he warned.

“We telephone for an contiguous ceasefire; and protection of hospitals, patients, wellness professionals and humanitarians.”

The Israeli subject said successful a connection that its forces were "operating successful nan area of nan Kamal Adwan Hospital successful Jabalia, based connected intelligence accusation regarding nan beingness of terrorists and violent infrastructure successful nan area".

"In nan weeks preceding nan operation, nan [forces] facilitated nan removal of patients from nan area while maintaining emergency services," it added.

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi urged US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to put unit connected Israel complete nan deteriorating humanitarian business and nan wide displacement of civilians successful nan north.

“We look astatine bluish Gaza and we do spot taste cleansing taking place, and that has sewage to stop,” he said astatine nan commencement of a gathering successful London.

Many Palestinians judge nan Israeli subject is implementing retired nan alleged “Generals’ Plan” successful nan north, which would spot nan forced displacement of each of nan estimated 400,000 civilians location to nan southbound followed by a siege of immoderate remaining Hamas fighters.

The Israeli subject has denied having specified a scheme and that it is making judge that civilians get retired of harm’s way.

Safadi besides warned that nan Middle East stood connected nan “brink of location war”, adding that each clip he met Blinken nan business was getting worse, “not for deficiency of america trying but because we do person an Israeli authorities that is not listening to anybody, and that has sewage to stop”.

“The only way to prevention nan region from that is for Israel to extremity nan aggressions connected Gaza, connected Lebanon, extremity unilateral measures, forbidden measures successful nan West Bank, that is besides pushing nan business to nan abyss,” he stated.

Blinken met pinch Arab leaders and overseas ministers successful nan UK pursuing a negotiated circuit of nan Middle East.

The US is believed to beryllium moving connected a scheme for post-conflict Gaza, trying to get buy-in from Arab countries moreover though advancement connected a ceasefire and hostage woody for Gaza has been stalled for weeks.

Blinken said he was having important conversations “on ending nan warfare successful Gaza and charting a way for what comes next”. He besides said location was a “sense of existent urgency successful getting a negotiated resolution” to nan conflict betwixt Israel and Hezbollah successful Lebanon.

On Thursday, Israel said it would nonstop nan caput of its Mossad intelligence agency to Doha connected Sunday to meet nan CIA head and Qatar’s premier curate amid renewed efforts to restart nan Gaza ceasefire and hostage merchandise talks.

It came aft a Hamas delegation met Egyptian information officials successful Cairo. Hamas said location had been nary alteration successful its conditions for a deal, which see nan afloat withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Israel launched a run to destruct Hamas successful consequence to nan group's unprecedented onslaught connected confederate Israel connected 7 October 2023, successful which astir 1,200 group were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 42,840 group person been killed successful Gaza since then, according to nan territory's Hamas-run wellness ministry.