Death and destruction continue in Gaza, calls for ceasefire as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 19

The Israel-Hamas War entered its 19th day, on Wednesday (October 25) making humanitarian situations dire in besieged Gaza with an Israeli ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave awaiting the political nod.

Towering death toll

• In the past couple of days, Israel's escalated airstrikes have taken the death toll past 5,791 in Gaza and turned residential buildings into rubble, reported the Associated Press.
• The escalation has resulted in numerous child casualties. According to AP, rescuers used their hands to recover the bodies of small children from the wreckage of collapsed buildings in Gaza.

• According to AP, since October 7, when the surprise attack by Hamas was carried out, at least 97 people have been killed in the West Bank after clashes erupted between Israeli security agencies and pro-Hamas/Palestinian protesters.
• Israeli authorities reported that the death toll in Israel has exceeded 1,400 people.

Relief is not enough

• According to Reuters, UN agencies, working in Gaza, have appealed for access to deliver emergency aid to Gaza, stating that the current aid deliveries fall significantly short.
• Late on Tuesday, October 24, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that eight trucks, carrying water, food, and medical supplies, successfully entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt.
• The United States is in discussions with Israel, Egypt, and the UN to facilitate the flow of more emergency relief into Gaza, though disagreements remain regarding inspection procedures for the aid and the ongoing Israeli airstrikes.

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2 hostages released

• On Monday, October 23, Hamas released two elderly Israeli women who had been held hostage on October 7 and taken to Gaza through an underground tunnel.
• 85-year-old, Yocheved Lifshitz, one of the women, recollecting the “painful act,” said, "I went through hell.”
• “They took care of the sanitary side of things so that we didn’t get sick,” she added.

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With the release of these two women, the count of released hostages has now reached four, yet there are an estimated 200 or more individuals still believed to be held captive in Gaza.

Calls for ceasefire

• The United States, UNO, Canada, Russia, and the international community have called for a temporary halt in the hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
• The aim is to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which remains under siege, while Israel continues its sustained bombardment of the area where Palestinians are enduring dire living conditions.
• According to Reuters, US President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had a telephone conversation on Tuesday.
• They agreed to an expanded diplomatic approach aimed at upholding regional stability and averting any further escalation of the conflict.

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It's no longer just Hamas and Gaza

• The IDF and Palestinians had deadly confrontations in the West Bank, with around 79 Palestinian casualties.
• During an overnight operation in the West Bank, Israeli forces were fired upon by a group of Palestinians, making the Israeli military respond using a drone, Reuters reported. Palestinian officials have reported that three people were killed in this incident.
• Tensions have also flared between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border.

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• Iran, the facilitator of both Hezbollah and Hamas has warned Israel to cease its offensive in Gaza.
• According to Reuters, an IDF aircraft struck Syrian army infrastructure and mortar launchers in response to rockets launched from Syria, which is an ally of Iran.
• The military did not offer further details and did not accuse the Syrian army of firing the rockets.
• These incidents triggered air raid sirens in Golan Heights.

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