Live updates | Gaza death toll tops 24,000 as UN agencies call urgently for more aid
Israeli strikes hit Gaza City and soldiers battled militants in southern Gaza on Monday as the heads of three major U.N. agencies said the enclave desperately needs more aid to ward off famine and disease outbreaks.
More than 100 days into Israel's war against Hamas, Palestinian authorities said the death toll in the enclave passed 24,000.
The Oct. 7 Hamas attack from Gaza into southern Israel that triggered the war killed around 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage by militants.
Currently:
— White House says ‘it’s the right time’ for Israel to scale back Gaza war as fighting hits 100 days
— As Israel-Hamas war reaches 100-day mark, here’s the conflict by numbers
— From Berlin to Karachi, thousands demonstrate in support of either Israel or the Palestinians
— Families of hostages held in Gaza for 100 days hold 24-hour rally, beg government to bring them home
— A defiant Netanyahu says no one can halt Israel’s war to crush Hamas, including the world court
— Hamas fights with a patchwork of weapons built by Iran, China, Russia and North Korea
— Find more of AP's coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
Here's the latest:
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITIES SAY ISRAELI FORCES FATALLY SHOOT 2 IN WEST BANK
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian Health Ministry says two Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.
The ministry says a 22-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman were shot dead in the southern town of Dura.
The Israeli military said its forces opened fire at group of around 100 Palestinians taking part in a violent protest, some of whom had hurled bricks and firebombs at soldiers. It said the man who was shot had thrown a firebomb.
The West Bank has experienced a surge in violence since the war in Gaza erupted on Oct. 7. The war was triggered by Hamas’ surprise attack from Gaza into southern Israel.
The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed some 350 Palestinians in the West Bank since Oct. 7. Most have been killed in confrontations with Israeli forces during arrest raids or violent protests.
UN AGENCIES CALL URGENTLY FOR MORE AID TO GAZA
The heads of three major U.N. agencies are warning that Gaza urgently needs more aid or its desperate population will suffer widespread famine and disease.
While the U.N. agency chiefs did not directly point a finger at Israel, they said aid delivery is hobbled by the opening of too few border crossings, a slow vetting process for trucks and goods going into Gaza, and continuing fighting throughout the territory. Israel plays a deciding factor in all of those things.
The World Food Program, UNICEF and the World Health Organization said Monday that new entry routes need to be opened to Gaza, more trucks need to be allowed in each day, and aid workers and those seeking aid need to be allowed to move around safely.
“People in Gaza risk dying of hunger just miles from trucks filled with food,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “Every hour lost puts countless lives at risk.”
CAR-RAMMING AND STABBING ATTACK KILLS 1
JERUSALEM — Israeli police say at least two Palestinians carried out an attack north of Tel Aviv, ramming cars into pedestrians and stabbing people. One woman was killed and 12 people were wounded.
The police say they arrested two Palestinian suspects from the West Bank. They say the suspects stole three different cars and attempted to run down pedestrians Monday. The police say the two suspects had been working in Israel without permits.
Israeli rescue services say they treated 13 people, including three in serious condition and seven minors. Some of the victims had stabbing wounds.
The attack took place in Ra’anana, a Tel Aviv suburb. Police were searching the area for additional suspects.
Hamas praised the attack but neither it nor other armed groups claimed responsibility.
ISRAELI SOCCER PLAYER RETURNS HOME AFTER SHOWING SUPPORT FOR HOSTAGES
ANKARA, Turkey — Israeli soccer player Sagiv Jehezkel returned to Israel on Monday evening to a cheering crowd, hours after he was briefly detained in Turkey for allegedly inciting hatred after he expressed solidarity with hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza during a top-flight league game.
Jehezkel landed in Israel in a small plane and was draped in an Israeli flag upon disembarking. Dozens of fans mobbed him as he left the airport, cheering, singing, and waving flags.
“There’s nowhere like Israel in the world,” Jehezkel told reporters. “I’m very happy to be here, and I couldn’t wait to arrive.”
The Antalyaspor player had been detained in Turkey for questioning late Sunday after he displayed a bandage on his wrist with the words “100 Days 7.10” — in reference to Oct. 7, the day Hamas attacked Israel and the hostages were abducted — next to a Star of David.
AUTHORITIES SAY DEATH TOLL IN GAZA PASSES 24,000
CAIRO — Gaza's Health Ministry said Monday that the bodies of 132 people killed in Israeli bombardment have been brought to the enclave's hospitals in the past 24 hours.
According to Gaza’s Civil Defense group, 33 of those were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City.
Hospitals also received 252 wounded, the ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory said in its daily briefing.
The fatalities brought the death toll in the strip to 24,100 dead since the war began on Oct. 7, the ministry said, adding that over 60,834 others were wounded.
The ministry, which does not distinguish in its count between fighters and noncombatants, says two-thirds of those killed in the war were women and children.
Israel says it has killed roughly 8,000 militants in the war.
POPE SAYS WAR ITSELF IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis equated war itself with crimes against humanity.
In remarks to the public gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday for his weekly window appearance, the pontiff said: “Let’s not forget how many suffer the cruelty of war in so many parts of the world, especially in Ukraine, in Palestine and in Israel.”
Francis lamented that “at the start of the year, we exchanged wishes for peace, but arms continue to kill and destroy.”
He urged reflection on the fact that war “sows death among civilians and destroys cities and infrastructure. In other words, today, war itself is a crime against humanity.”
