Israel bombed Bilal Mosque in Gaza,
Saudi Arab speeds up reconciliation
TELAVIV: Israel has summoned the Russian ambassador to lodge a protest at Moscow’s hosting last week of a delegation from Hamas. Inviting Hamas “sends a message legitimising terrorism against Israelis”, Israel’s foreign ministry said in a statement, quoting its senior staff as telling Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov. It described the summons as a protest rather than a reprimand.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held separate telephone conversations on Sunday with his counterparts from France and Iran in an effort to seek potential solutions and a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict.
During these discussions, the Saudi Foreign Minister explored various paths toward resolving the conflict and achieving a cessation of hostilities in collaboration with his French and Iranian counterparts.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has said Iran does not want Palestine-Israel crisis to “spread out”. “We don’t want this war to spread out,” Amirabdollahian said during an appearance on CNN. He dismissed claims directly connecting Iran to the attacks, calling them “baseless.”
“We always had political media and international support for Palestine. We have never denied this,” he said. “This is the truth, but in relation to this operation called the Al Aqsa Storm, there was no connection to that data between Iran and this Hamas operation, not my government nor part of my country.”
Amirabdollahian said linking Iran to any attack in the region, if US interests are targeted, without providing proof, is “totally wrong.”
People in the region were angry, he said, and “they are not receiving orders from us. They act according to their own interest. Also, what happened, what was carried out by Hamas, it was totally Palestinian.”
Israeli strikes near the Al-Quds Hospital have increased. “The hospital has not been directly hit, but areas around it have been targeted. This has caused a great amount of fear among patients,” she told Al Jazeera.
Earlier, the Palestine Red Crescent said Israel had issued an evacuation warning to the hospital. However, the facility has refused to vacate, saying that it would put patients at risk.
Arab media reported on Sunday that an Israeli attack on Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque in Deir al-Bila, central Gaza, resulted in the martyrdom of 13 Palestinians and left dozens injured. The Israeli bombardment also caused the complete destruction of many houses near the mosque. Eyewitnesses tragically reported the deaths of several children due to the Israeli assault.
The Israeli army issued a warning to Palestinians to evacuate Al-Quds Hospital and subsequently bombarded the surrounding areas, as reported by Arab media.
This action raised concerns from the World Health Organization (WHO), which emphasized that evacuating the hospital could endanger the lives of the patients.
In contrast, the Israeli army asserted that there is no shortage of food, water, and medicine in Gaza, a statement contested by their ally, the USA. US officials, relying on information from reliable international partners in Gaza, stated that shortages of essential supplies persist in the region.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that 94 trucks carrying relief goods have reached Gaza through Rafah Crossing, with an additional ten trucks set to arrive shortly. Notably, these aid trucks do not include fuel.
Death toll exceeds 8,000
The death toll in Gaza on Sunday exceeded 8,000, with thousands possibly buried under the rubble, the Gaza media office reported.
Gaza’s media office indicated that around 10,000 Palestinians are either killed or trapped beneath debris due to Israeli attacks.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has officially reported 8,008 casualties, but the number is expected to rise substantially as rescue efforts continue.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres Sunday expressed grave concern as civil order deteriorates in Gaza. At the same time, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for a humanitarian ceasefire, citing an overwhelming influx of patients in Gaza hospitals.
He communicated that families in the region are in jeopardy and emphasised the urgent requirement for additional medical supplies to support the strained healthcare system.