Gaza health officials says the following: 15 people killed in an Israeli airstrike on an ambulance.
An Israeli strike targeted an ambulance that was part of a convoy transporting wounded Palestinians to Gaza’s largest hospital, al-Shifa, health officials in the Hamas-run enclave said on Friday.
Upon arrival at Al-Shifa (Israel) directly hit the second vehicle of the convoy in a horrific massacre that killed 15 people and injured more than 60, health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said.
Living conditions in Gaza have deteriorated further since the beginning of the conflict. As a result of the Israeli blockade, food is scarce, residents are forced to drink salt water, medical services are collapsing, and according to Gaza’s medical services, more than 9,250 Palestinians have died. Moreover, about 1.5 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are displaced.
As a consequence, Hamas is preparing for a long and protracted war in Gaza and believes it can delay Israel’s advance long enough to force Israel to agree to a ceasefire, two sources close to the organization’s leadership said.
It is believed international pressure on Israel to end the blockade could force a cease-fire and negotiations that would result in tangible concessions for Hamas, such as the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages, the sources said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday and called for a humanitarian pause in the fighting, which is seen as easing the job of getting hostages released, allowing aid to reach the Gaza Strip but not preventing Israel from defending itself.
Netanyahu rejected the idea of a pause unless hostages are released.
I made clear that we are continuing full force and that Israel refuses a temporary ceasefire which does not include the release of our hostages.
Blinken is meeting in Amman on Saturday with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Emirates and Egypt, and Palestinian representatives, Jordan’s foreign ministry said.
The Arab leaders will emphasise: “Arab stance calling for an immediate ceasefire, delivering humanitarian aid and ways of ending the dangerous deterioration that threatens the security of the region.”
Meanwhile, the leader of Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah group warned the U.S. that if Israel does not stop its offensive on Gaza, the conflict could spread into a regional war.
Hezbollah has clashed with Israeli troops on the Lebanon-Israel border in the biggest flare-up since the war with Israel began in 2006.
You, the Americans, can stop the aggression against Gaza because it is your aggression.
A White House National Security Council spokesman said he was informed of Nasrallah’s remarks in Washington but had no intention of engaging in a “war of words”. Hezbollah and others should not use the conflict between Israel and Hamas to their advantage, the spokesman said.
“With regard to Lebanon, with regard to Hezbollah, with regard to Iran – we have been very clear from the outset that we are determined that there will not be a second or third front opened in this conflict,” Blinken said Friday when asked if the U.S. was prepared to direct its firepower at targets in Lebanon and Iran.
