Death toll in Gaza climbs to 6,500 as UNSC resolutions fail to address the Israel-Hamas War

The Israel Hmas War intensifies as it enters its 20th day on Thursday, October 26, since Israel was caught in a surprise Hamas attack on October 7. As the Israeli government prepares for a ground offensive, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is on the verge of a collapse with a lack of fresh water, electricity, fuel, food and medical supplies.

Israel, responding to the situation has further intensified airstrikes on the besieged Palestinian enclave, with heavy shelling reported from several Gazan towns.

According to the UNRWA, due to fuel shortages, its operations in Gaza may stop tonight.

ALSO READ: UNRWA refuting the Hamas warehouse heist just follows allegations of going easy on Hamas

Death count

• According to the Associated Press, the Health Ministry in Gaza reported the number of Palestinians killed stands at 6,546. In the West Bank, over 100 Palestinians have lost their lives.
• According to the Israeli Government, around 1,400 have lost their lives in Israel so far, since October 7.
• Downplaying the Gazan casualties, US President Joe Biden, on Wednesday said he had no confidence in the death figures coming out of Gaza as its Hamas controls health authorities.

ALSO READ: What is the 'Gaza Metro,' longer than Delhi Metro, awaiting the IDF ground offensive?

IDF Ground offensive

• According to Reuters, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, "Our operations in Gaza will persist as we pursue the objectives of this war", which is the destruction of Hamas.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a televised address, on Wednesday, October 25, announced Israel's readiness for a potential ground invasion without specifying the timing, approach, or scale.
• Israeli forces, including tanks and troops, are currently stationed along the Gaza border, and Israel has called up 360,000 reservists for potential action, reported Reuters.

ALSO READ: Why the Israel-Hamas war resonates with the Yom Kippur War of 1973

• Amid speculations of the ground offensive, a Wall Street Journal report said that Israel has consented to postpone a ground incursion into Gaza until the arrival of US air defence systems.

There is increasing international pressure to delay a full-scale invasion of Gaza, mainly due to the presence of around 220 hostages from 25 different countries, many of whom hold an Israeli passport (dual nationals) too.

ALSO READ: What's the Israeli Iron Beam defence system being developed to complement the Iron Dome?

UN Security Council resolution fails again

• According to Reuters, the UNSC failed to halt the Israel-Hamas war again, as both United States and Russian resolutions were rejected.
• The US resolution aimed to reaffirm Israel's right to self-defence, call for respect of international laws, especially the protection of civilians, and advocate for humanitarian pauses to provide aid to Gaza.
• The vote was not adopted because Russia and China vetoed it.

• On the other hand, the Russian resolution called for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire and condemned Hamas' attacks in Israel on October 7, as well as indiscriminate attacks on Gaza's civilians and civilian structures.
• This vote also failed to meet the minimum requirement of nine "yes" votes for adoption.

ALSO READ: What's the poor man's cocaine that Hamas terrorists were high on when they attacked Israel?

 Israeli airstrike kills Al Jazeera Bureau Chief's Family

• An Israeli airstrike in Gaza resulted in the loss of the wife, son, and young daughter of Al Jazeera Arabic's bureau chief, Wael Dahdouh.
• The Qatar-based news network reported the journalist, was on air reporting on the war.

ALSO READ: Hamas's attack on Israel isn't just about Palestine, they want a piece of Arab-Israeli normalisation too

Putin warns of war spillover

• Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday, expressed concerns that the war has the potential to escalate beyond Israel and its neighbours.
• He strongly criticised the unjust "punishment" of innocent women, children, and elders in Gaza for the actions of others, without naming Hamas.
• According to the Kremlin, in a meeting with religious leaders from various faiths in Russia, he said, "Our task today, our main task, is to stop the bloodshed and violence,"

ALSO READ: The Israel-Palestine conflict explained for dummies