Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Year : 2, Issue : 11
The first day of Ramadan arrived yesterday like others for Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza: stalked by famine and disease, shivering in tents and threatened by bombs more than five months into Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian territory.
As the Muslim world welcomed the holy month and its customary daytime fast, many Gazans awoke to bombardment that saw residents once more search through the rubble of destroyed homes for survivors and bodies.
UN and aid groups say only a fraction of the supplies needed for Gaza’s 2.4 million people have been allowed in since Israel placed the Palestinian territory under near-total siege on October 7.
The non-governmental group Open Arms said its boat was expected to tow a barge with 200 tonnes of food, but a spokeswoman could not confirm when it would depart.
Fighting raged across Gaza, even as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “silencing the guns” during Ramadan which he said celebrates “peace, reconciliation and solidarity.
“Yet even though Ramadan has begun –- the killing, bombing and bloodshed continue in Gaza,” Guterres said.
The Israeli military reported that troops killed 15 militants “in close encounters, sniper fire and air strikes”.
It added that “several Hamas operatives were arrested” during raids on homes in southern Gaza, while witnesses reported violent clashes in several areas overnight.
Since October 7, Israel’s relentless bombardment killed 31,112 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. It said at least 67 people were killed over the previous 24 hours.
Multiple countries again airdropped aid into northern Gaza yesterday, but outgoing Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said aid could be delivered more efficiently via five land borders. Humanitarian workers have made similar comments.
Weeks of talks involving United States, Qatari and Egyptian mediators failed to bring about a truce and hostage exchange deal ahead of Ramadan.
A source with knowledge of the ceasefire talks has told AFP “there will be a diplomatic push” with a view to securing a deal within the first half of Ramadan.
While many Palestinians did not know where to find their next meal, others still found ways to celebrate the start of the holy month, fashioning meagre decorations and distributing traditional fanous lanterns between their tents.
Source: AFP
