Biden urges Netanyahu to protect Gaza civilians as Israel ramps up ground assault

As Israeli forces intensify their ground and air operations in the Gaza Strip, international calls for the protection of civilians are growing louder.

The White House warned Israel on Sunday to distinguish between Hamas militants and innocent residents, while world leaders urged for immediate humanitarian aid to reach the war-torn Palestinian territory.

The Israeli military reported that it had conducted airstrikes on more than 450 militant targets within the past 24 hours. These targets included Hamas command centers and positions used for launching anti-tank missiles. Large columns of smoke billowed over Gaza City in the wake of the strikes. Military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that the strikes had resulted in the deaths of dozens of Hamas terrorists.

Since the October 7 attack by Hamas, which reportedly killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, Israel’s retaliatory bombardments have resulted in over 8,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Half of the victims are children.

Here are the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas conflict
Palestinians in northern Gaza reported intense air and artillery strikes early on Monday as Israeli troops, backed by tanks, expanded their ground assault. The bombardments targeted areas near Gaza City’s Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals, and clashes erupted between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces east of Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza.

Hours before the strikes, Israel released images of battle tanks along the western coast of the Palestinian enclave, indicating a possible attempt to surround Gaza’s main city. This move came two days after the Israeli government ordered an expansion of ground incursions across its border with the Hamas-ruled territory.

The United States urged Israel to protect innocent Gaza residents by distinguishing between Hamas militants and civilians. While Israel has the right to self-defence, it must do so “in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law that prioritizes the protection of civilians,” President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call, the White House said.

Israeli forces on Monday struck targets in Syria and Lebanon, the Israel Defence Forces said. In separate tweets, the IDF said an aircraft had attacked Hezbollah targets in Lebanese territory, including “infrastructures for directing terrorism and military infrastructures of the organisation”, and that a fighter jet had attacked launchers in Syrian territory. It said both attacks were in response to launches from those areas into Israel.

In a report from The Times of Israel, a US official has revealed that the Biden administration is urging Israel to execute a more restrained ground operation within the Gaza Strip. According to the same US official, Israel’s leadership is currently disinclined to launch a full-scale ground offensive at this juncture due to concerns about the potential risk to hostages held in Gaza.

The United Nations warned of a breakdown in “civil order” in Gaza as thousands of people ransacked food warehouses, taking wheat, flour, and other supplies on Sunday.

Later in the day, 33 aid trucks were allowed to pass into Gaza from Egypt, according to a spokesperson at the Rafah crossing. It is the largest number of aid trucks to cross in a day since the conflict began, but humanitarian workers told the Associated Press that the assistance still falls desperately short of what’s needed.

World leaders, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron, have issued urgent calls for aid to Gaza. Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi committed to significantly accelerating and increasing assistance to Gaza.

In Russia, a mob looking for Israelis and Jews overran an airport in the Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Sunday, after rumours spread that a flight was arriving from Israel.

Dozens of protesters, many of them chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) broke through doors and barriers, with some running onto the runway, according to videos posted on social media, reported news agency AFP.

Shortly afterwards, Russia’s aviation agency announced that it had closed the airport to incoming and outgoing flights and that security forces had arrived on site. “The situation is under control,” local authorities said on Telegram, while the governor of Dagestan promised that those responsible for the incident would be punished.