Israel's bombing of Gaza continues as its war against Hamas, the Palestinian group that carried out unprecedented attacks on Israel on October 7, in which over 1,200 people were killed. Israel has vowed to uproot Hamas and a land, sea and air offensive has been ongoing for the last three months and over 18,500 people have died in Gaza.
Israel wished Hamas on its 36th foundation day but with a message, hoping it's the Palestinian group's "last birthday". In a post on X, Israel said, "Hamas was founded 36 years ago. May this birthday be its last."
Hamas was founded 36 years ago today.
— Israel ישראל 🇮🇱 (@Israel) December 14, 2023
May this birthday be its last. #FreeGazaFromHamas pic.twitter.com/wsT6QWG1i1
Israel put rockets instead of candles for Hamas' "36th birthday" and called for freeing Gaza from Hamas.
Gaza Food Crisis
People in Gaza are begging for food, paying 50 times more than usual for a single can of beans and slaughtering donkeys to feed their families as the relentless bombardment for three months has crippled daily life and medical and food aid has been badly hit despite Israel's assurances of safe supply.
The UN Humanitarian Office OCHA said limited aid distributions were taking place in the Rafah area, close to the border with Egypt in southern Gaza, where almost half of its population of 2.3 million is now estimated to be living.
"In the rest of the Gaza Strip, aid distribution has largely stopped, due to the intensity of hostilities and restrictions on movement along the main roads," it said.
North Gaza, which faced the initial brunt of Israel's all-out war has been reduced to rubble and barely any aid has got through since a week-long truce ended on December 1. The UN estimates 1.9 million out of Gaza's 2.4 million people have been displaced. Meanwhile, the Israeli-occupied West Bank region is witnessing violence that has surged to an unseen level in almost two decades.
"Right To Self Defence"
The US is facing mounting pressure over its stance defending Israel's right to self-defence and vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told Israel to scale down its war on Hamas in the "near future," with President Joe Biden urging it to take more care to save civilian lives in Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Sullivan that Israel's fight with Hamas "will require a period -- it will last more than several months, but we will win and we will destroy them."
Joe Biden issued his strongest criticism yet of Israel, warning that Israel risked losing global support over "indiscriminate bombing."
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to carry on "until victory" and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the war would continue "with or without international support".
The Israeli prime minister has said there is also "disagreement" with Washington over how Gaza would be governed after the war.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
