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White House exploring ‘pauses’ in conflict
The White House is exploring the idea of pauses in the Israel-Hamas conflict to help civilians in Gaza and any such temporary pause will not stop Israel from defending itself, United States national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday.
“What we’re trying to do is explore the idea of as many pauses as might be necessary to continue to get aid out and to continue to work to get people out safely, including hostages,” he told reporters at a briefing.
Israel says it is aiming its attacks at Hamas, not civilians, and accuses the group of using them as human shields.
Nearly four weeks of Israeli bombardment against the Gaza Strip in retaliation for deadly attacks by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel on October 7 have killed more than 9000 people.
Reuters
Palestinians at ‘grave risk of genocide’: UN experts
United Nations experts called on Thursday for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, saying time was running out for Palestinian people there who find themselves at “grave risk of genocide”.
Nearly four weeks of Israeli bombardment against the Gaza Strip in retaliation for deadly attacks by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel on October 7 have killed more than 9000 people, made up of a majority of women and children, health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave say.
Palestinians look for survivors under the rubble of destroyed buildings following Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday. Credit: AP
“We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide,” the group of experts, made up of seven U.N. special rapporteurs, said in a statement.
“We demand a humanitarian ceasefire to ensure that aid reaches those who need it the most.”
The Israeli mission to the U.N. in Geneva called the comments “deplorable and deeply concerning” and blamed Hamas for civilian deaths.
The International Criminal Court defines the crime of genocide as the specific intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethnic, racial or religious group by killing its members or by other means, including imposing measures intended to prevent births or forcibly transferring children from one group to another.
On October 28, departing senior U.N. human rights official Craig Mokhiber wrote to the High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, saying “we are seeing a genocide unfolding before our eyes, and the Organization that we serve appears powerless to stop it.”
Reuters
Welcome to our live coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict. I’m Patrick Hatch and I’ll be with you until noon.
Here’s a quick overview of what you need to know:
- The US will formally ask Israel to periodically pause its war against Hamas to allow for aid to be distributed in Gaza and enable hostages to be released safely.
- Israeli forces have thrust deeper into Gaza City in their assault on Hamas, but the militant group resisted their drive with hit-and-run attacks from underground tunnels.
- Seven United Nations experts have warned that Palestinians are at “grave risk of genocide” and demanded a humanitarian ceasefire so aid can reach Gaza
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