Jerusalem: The pace of Palestinian civilians fleeing the combat zone in northern Gaza has picked up as Israel’s air and ground campaign there intensifies. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Wednesday that about 15,000 people fled Tuesday, compared to 5,000 Monday and 2,000 Sunday.
Here’s what is happening in the latest Israel-Hamas war:
Ukraine evacuates 43 of its nationals and 36 Moldovans from Gaza
Ukraine has evacuated 43 of its nationals from the Gaza Strip and helped 36 Moldovan citizens reach safety in Egypt, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian diplomats helped the two groups get out of the war zone, Zelenskyy said Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
He also said Ukraine was working with embassies in Israel and Egypt to get more of its citizens out of Gaza.
Israel cabinet to meet in West Bank following warnings of more violence
Israel’s wartime security Cabinet will meet late Wednesday in the West Bank offices of the military’s Central Command “due to warnings by security officials about the potential for a serious escalation in violence” in the territory, the Ynet website reported, citing a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Israeli media reported last week that the Shin Bet security agency issued such a warning, noting an increase in violence by Jewish settlers.
Deadly violence has been surging in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as Israel’s military pursues Hamas militants following the group’s bloody Oct 7 incursion into Israel from the Gaza Strip.
The violence threatens to open another front in the war Israel launched against Hamas after it killed more than 1,400 people in southern Israel and took more than 240 people hostage.
As of Tuesday, 167 Palestinians had been killed in the West Bank over the past month, mainly in clashes with Israeli troops. The toll since the beginning of the year was 371.
Some of the dead have been killed in violent anti-Israel protests, and Palestinians have said eight people were killed in attacks by settlers, who have intensified assaults and provocations since the war began.
Daily Israeli military arrest raids in the territory have intensified, with once-rare aerial attacks becoming much more common. The military said Wednesday that 1,430 wanted men have been arrested in the West Bank since Oct 7, including more than 900 from Hamas.
G7 nations announce a unified stance on Israel-Hamas war
Top diplomats from the Group of Seven leading industrial democracies announced a unified stance on the Israel-Hamas war Wednesday after intensive meetings in Tokyo, condemning Hamas, supporting Israel’s right to self-defense, and calling for “humanitarian pauses” to speed aid to desperate civilians in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement following two days of talks, the nations sought to balance unequivocal criticism of Hamas’ attacks against Israel and “the need for urgent action” to help civilians in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
“All parties must allow unimpeded humanitarian support for civilians, including food, water, medical care, fuel and shelter, and access for humanitarian workers,” said the statement, hammered out by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and foreign ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Italy.
“We support humanitarian pauses and corridors to facilitate urgently needed assistance, civilian movement, and the release of hostages.”
AP