A bird flies over damaged buildings in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from southern Israel. /Reuters/Violeta Santos Moura.
French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late on Thursday, during which he urged him to work towards a durable ceasefire. France has also revealed it will work with Jordan in days ahead on humanitarian operations in Gaza. Macron's plea comes as fighting continues to rage in Gaza, more than two months on from the start of the conflict.
The Israeli campaign has killed at least 21,320 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. On Friday, there were four other key developments in the conflict:
Israel is continuing to bombard Gaza, but French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to engage with international leaders and agree to a "durable" ceasefire./Reuters/Amir Cohen.
Deadly hospital strike
Israeli shelling over two days near Al-Amal hospital in southern Gaza's main city Khan Yunis has killed 41 people, the Palestinian Red Crescent said Thursday. The casualties include "displaced persons seeking shelter" at Red Crescent premises, it said. The Gaza health ministry later said Israeli shelling had killed 20 people at the Shaboura camp in Rafah near Egypt.
The UN humanitarian office said an estimated 100,000 more people had arrived in the already-teeming southern border city of Rafah in recent days following the intensification of fighting around Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis.
UN says Israel attacked aid convoy
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday an aid convoy came under fire by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip, without causing any casualties.
"Israeli soldiers fired at an aid convoy as it returned from northern Gaza along a route designated by the Israeli army - our international convoy leader and his team were not injured but one vehicle sustained damage," UNRWA's director in Gaza, Tom White, wrote on X.
According to UNRWA, the incident took place on Thursday afternoon. The Israeli military responded to requests for comment saying that it was looking into reports about the incident.
An Israeli artillery unit fires, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, in southern Israel, December 28, 2023. /Reuters/Violeta Santos Moura.
Egypt negotiations
A Hamas delegation is due in Cairo on Friday to give its "observations" about an Egyptian plan for a ceasefire, a Hamas official said. Sources close to Hamas say Cairo's three-stage plan provides for renewable ceasefires, a staggered release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and ultimately a ceasefire to end the war.
Maritime aid corridor
Israel has given preliminary approval to Cyprus for a maritime humanitarian corridor to ship aid to Gaza, the Israeli foreign ministry said Thursday. The proposal would allow badly needed international aid to be checked "with Israeli supervision" in Cyprus before delivery, it said.
Last week the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for "safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale".
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