Israeli strikes kill 19 in Gaza, Slovenia latest to recognise Palestinian state
At least 19 people were killed in separate airstrikes and shelling in central and southern Gaza on Tuesday.
As the Jewish state ramped up its offensive in the Palestinian enclave amid continued international calls to end the fighting that has raged on for nearly eight months.
Israeli airstrikes on the al-Bureij and al-Maghazi refugee camps and the city of Deir-al-Balah in central Gaza killed 17 people, and two policemen were killed in shelling while trying to escort humanitarian aid deliveries in Rafah, Palestinian medical officials said.
On the other hand, Slovenia became the latest European country after Spain, Ireland and Norway to recognise Palestine as an independent state after its parliament gave a nod to its move with a majority vote. The action was part of a wider effort to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza triggered by Hama’s sudden attack on the Jewish state on October 7 last year.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
According to residents, Israeli tanks shelled an area just east of the al-Nusseirat refugee camp even as Israeli forces conducted airstrikes in other parts of Gaza.
Hamas on Tuesday said it could not agree to any ceasefire deal unless Israel made a “clear” commitment to a permanent truce and its forces completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
This came as Qatar, which is a part of mediating a deal between Hamas and Israel alongside the US and Egypt, called on the Jewish state to clarify a position to reach a deal that is also agreed and backed by its government.
Last week, a three-phase proposal was presented by US President Joe Biden which called for a six-week ceasefire wherein Israeli forces would withdraw from “all populated areas” of Gaza and that some hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Meanwhile, the Republican-led US House of Representatives passed a bill that would impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its prosecutor’s move to seek arrest warrants for Israeli officials over the war in Gaza.
The bill was passed by 247-155, with 42 Democrats siding with the Republicans in backing the legislation. The measure will not become a law but reflected the US’s continued support for Israel amid international criticism over the fighting in the Palestinian enclave.
In Slovenia, the country’s parliament passed a bill with 52 votes that recognised Palestine as a sovereign and independent state. With this, Slovenia became the latest EU country after Sweden, Cyprus, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria to recognise a Palestinian state, with Malta saying it could soon decide on the same.
“Today’s recognition of Palestine as a sovereign and independent state sends hope to the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza,” Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob tweeted.