Netanyahu has criticized Qatar's mediation role in Gaza. /CFP
Qatar has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reportedly describing the Gulf country's mediation role in the Gaza war as "problematic" in a leaked recording.
The Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson expressed dismay, stating that if the reported remarks are true, Netanyahu is hindering and undermining the mediation process. The leaked recording features Netanyahu questioning Qatar's role as a mediator.
With its ties to some Hamas leaders, Qatar has played a significant role in mediating between the militant group and Israeli officials during the Gaza conflict. The Israeli government has yet to respond to Qatar's statement or confirm the authenticity of the leaked recording.
An Israeli tank manoeuvres near the Israel-Gaza border on Thursday. /Reuters
Israeli tanks strike southern Gaza hospitals
Israeli forces launched relentless bombardments around two hospitals in Gaza's main southern city, Khan Younis, aiming to capture Hamas's primary stronghold in the southern enclave. Over a 24-hour period at least 50 Palestinians, including two children, were killed in the offensive.
The city is encircled by Israeli armored forces, facing continuous aerial and ground fire. Medical teams, patients, and displaced individuals are trapped in or around the city's two main functioning hospitals, Nasser and Al-Amal, as Israeli tanks cut off access.
The siege impedes rescue efforts, forcing displaced people to seek increasingly scarce safe shelters amid the ongoing Israeli advance.
1.5 million lives 'in danger'
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warns that less than 20 percent of Gaza, a narrow coastal enclave of 60 square km, houses over 1.5 million people in the south, where escalating fighting threatens their survival. Every hospital in Gaza is overcrowded, lacking medical supplies, fuel, food, and water. The ICRC states that two more facilities in Khan Younis are at risk due to the ongoing fighting, causing a devastating impact on the health system.
Thomas White, director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza, criticized Israel's military operations in densely populated areas, with heavy fighting near remaining hospitals encircling these facilities, trapping terrified staff, patients, and displaced people. Al Khair hospital has closed down, evacuating patients, including women who had just undergone C-section surgeries. In north Gaza, residents report running out of food, especially flour, resorting to grinding livestock feed to replenish supplies.
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UN warns of Gazan starvation
The Gaza Strip faces mass hunger amid Israel's offensive against Hamas, with 2.3 million people enduring bombardment since October 7. The United Nations warns of famine pockets, especially in the north and center where fighting is intense. Limited food supplies reach areas near the Egyptian border, but the north is described as facing a catastrophic food situation.
A U.N.-backed report notes the entire Gaza population experiences crisis-level hunger, and a growing famine risk. Aid agencies plan to assess malnutrition by measuring children's arms for signs of wasting. Over 10,000 Gaza children are projected to be at risk of wasting in the coming weeks, a severe consequence of malnutrition. Medical professionals describe newborns born sick, infants losing weight, and mothers unable to produce breast milk due to malnutrition.
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