Hamas hostage members of the family storm Israeli parliament, demanding deal for launch

The developments confirmed the growing stress on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has dug in on each fronts. He has insisted to the Israeli public that pursuing the devastating offensive in Gaza is the one solution to convey the hostages dwelling. On the similar time, he has rejected america’ imaginative and prescient for a postwar decision, saying he’ll never allow a Palestinian state.

The dispute over Gaza’s future pits Israel in opposition to its high ally and far of the worldwide neighborhood. It additionally poses a serious impediment to plans for postwar governance or reconstruction of the coastal territory, giant elements of which have been left unlivable by Israeli bombardment.

As fears develop that Israel’s struggle in Gaza will spark a wider regional battle, the U.S. and British militaries bombed eight locations in Yemen utilized by the Houthi rebels. It’s the eighth time the U.S. has bombed Houthi websites since Jan. 12, U.S. officers mentioned late Monday, talking on situation of anonymity to debate a army operation. The Iranian-backed Houthis have attacked transport within the area’s waterways, saying they goal to finish the Israeli offensive within the Gaza Strip.

In southern Gaza, Israeli strikes and shelling intensified in and across the metropolis of Khan Younis, sending Palestinian households fleeing south in pickup vehicles and donkey carts loaded with possessions.

Within the metropolis, which has been a battle zone for weeks, folks dug graves for the useless contained in the yard of Al-Nasser Hospital as workers struggled to take care of dozens of newly killed and wounded, together with youngsters. Well being care employees mentioned strikes hit no less than 4 faculties sheltering displaced folks on town’s western edges, together with two inside a coastal strip that Israel had declared a secure zone for folks fleeing.

Gaza’s web and telephone networks collapsed once more Monday for the tenth time throughout the struggle. The repeated blackouts severely hamper distribution of assist that’s important for the survival of the territory’s inhabitants of two.3 million, U.N. officers mentioned. The lack of service additionally prevents Palestinians from speaking with one another and the surface world.

Netanyahu has vowed to proceed the offensive till “complete victory” over Hamas and to return all remaining hostages after the Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel that triggered the struggle. In that assault, some 1,200 folks have been killed and Hamas and different militants kidnapped round 250 folks.

Israelis are more and more divided on the query of whether it’s possible to do either.

Round 100 hostages have been freed below a weeklong cease-fire deal in November in trade for the discharge of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Round 130 stay captive, however a quantity have since been confirmed useless. Hamas has mentioned it is going to free extra captives solely in trade for an finish to the struggle and the discharge of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Netanyahu has dominated out such an settlement, however anger is rising amongst hostages’ households. Kin and different protesters arrange a tent camp exterior Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, vowing to stay till a deal is reached.

On Monday, dozens of members of the family of the hostages stormed right into a gathering of the Knesset’s finance committee, holding up indicators and yelling, “You won’t sit here while they are dying there!”

“These are our children!” they shouted. Some needed to be bodily restrained, and no less than one individual was escorted out.

OVER 25,000 KILLED IN GAZA

Israel’s offensive has killed no less than 25,295 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded greater than 60,000, in keeping with the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants however says round two-thirds of these killed have been girls and youngsters.

Residents in Khan Younis reported bombardment on all sides of town. At Nasser Hospital, Ayman Abu Abaid, the pinnacle of surgical procedure, informed Al Jazeera TV early Monday that no less than 50 useless and greater than 100 wounded had been dropped at the ability.

Ashraf Al-Qudra, spokesman for the Well being Ministry, mentioned Israeli troops had stormed Al-Khair Hospital and detained the medical workers, the most recent hospital that troops have seized throughout the battle. The hospital is simply contained in the secure zone at Muwasi, a rural coastal strip west of Khan Younis, the place the Israeli army had mentioned it might not perform operations.

Volunteers with the Purple Crescent mentioned strikes hit 4 faculties west of Khan Younis — two of them contained in the Muwasi zone — inflicting an unknown variety of casualties. They mentioned the group’s ambulances couldn’t attain the websites.

Households streamed out of Khan Younis alongside the coastal freeway, some strolling, some loading blankets and possessions into autos. They headed towards Rafah, the tiny sliver on the excessive southern finish of Gaza the place well over 1 million people are already crowded, many dwelling in tents which have stuffed the streets.

As he fled Khan Younis together with his household, Ahmad Shurrab mentioned he had been displaced a number of occasions. “Where should I go? Should I go to Rafah? Rafah is like one street. What do they want from us?” he shouted.

Some 85% of the Gaza inhabitants has been pushed from their properties by the struggle. U.N. officers say 1 in 4 people in Gaza is starving because the preventing and Israeli restrictions hinder the supply of humanitarian assist. Solely 15 bakeries are working throughout the Gaza Strip, all of them in both Rafah or the central city of Deir al-Balah, the U.N. mentioned.

The Israeli army says it has killed round 9,000 militants in its offensive, with out offering proof, and blames the excessive civilian loss of life toll on Hamas as a result of it operates in dense residential areas.

The struggle has additionally stoked tensions across the region, with Iran-backed teams in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen attacking Israeli and U.S. targets.

NETANYAHU UNDER MOUNTING PRESSURE

Netanyahu, whose reputation has plummeted since Oct. 7, faces stress from the U.S. to shift to extra exact army operations and do extra to facilitate humanitarian assist into Gaza.

The US can also be calling for a reformed Palestinian Authority to manipulate Gaza after the struggle and for negotiations to start out on a two-state answer. The authority at present governs pockets of the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution and was ejected from Gaza in 2007 when Hamas took energy.

Netanyahu has rejected each the entry of the Palestinian Authority and the creation of a Palestinian state. His governing coalition is beholden to far-right events that need to step up the offensive, encourage the emigration of tons of of hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza and reestablish Jewish settlements there.

At a gathering in Brussels, European Union international ministers added their voices to the requires a Palestinian state, saying it was the one solution to obtain peace.

French International Affairs Minister Stephane Sejourne mentioned Netanyahu’s rejection of statehood was “worrying. There will be a need for a Palestinian state with security guarantees for all.”

“Which are the other solutions they have in mind?” EU international coverage chief Josep Borrell mentioned of Israel. “To make all the Palestinians leave? To kill them off?”

In an interview with CNN late Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s international minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, mentioned the dominion is not going to normalize relations with Israel or contribute to Gaza’s reconstruction with no credible path to a Palestinian state. His feedback have been notable as a result of earlier than the struggle, the U.S. had been attempting to dealer a landmark normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The Palestinians search a state together with Gaza, the West Financial institution and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured within the 1967 Mideast struggle. Peace talks broke down almost 15 years in the past.

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Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. AP correspondent Jack Jeffery in London and AP writers Lolita C. Baldor and Tara Copp in Washington contributed.