The UN secretary general António Guterres has cautioned that Gaza could face ethnic cleansing unless the international community takes decisive action to prevent it, speaking on the sidelines of the COP16 biodiversity conference in Colombia.
His warning comes as Israeli strikes continue to inflict heavy civilian casualties in northern Gaza, with at least 93 people killed in a single attack on Tuesday in the Beit Lahiya district. The UN reports this as one of seven “mass casualty incidents” across Gaza in the past week.
Aid deliveries have reportedly fallen to their lowest levels since the conflict began, prompting concerns about Israel’s intentions regarding Gaza’s Palestinian population.
“The intention might be for the Palestinians to leave Gaza, for others to occupy it”, Guterres told the Guardian, praising Palestinian resilience and Arab determination in resisting population transfers.
Jordan’s foreign secretary, Ayman Safadi, recently told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that ethnic cleansing was already occurring in Gaza, though Israel’s military denies systematic attempts to force Palestinians from the territory.
The bombing of a five-storey residential building in Beit Lahiya drew widespread international criticism, with the US describing it as “a horrifying incident with a horrifying result”. France condemned the strike and “recent Israeli strikes on hospitals in the north”, calling for an immediate end to the siege of northern Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was investigating reports of civilian casualties in Beit Lahiya. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant urged troops to maintain military pressure on Hamas to secure the release of Israeli hostages.
Talks in Doha between Mossad director David Barnea, CIA director Bill Burns, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani failed to yield a breakthrough on a proposed short-term truce after five months of negotiations.
Israel extended its military campaign to Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah positions in the Baalbek region, resulting in at least 19 deaths, including eight women, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
In Gaza, the UN humanitarian affairs agency OCHA reports that only two out of 20 health service points and two hospitals remain partially functional in the north. About 1.7 million people, representing 80% of Gaza’s population, have not received food rations.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), expressed grave concern about the humanitarian situation. This comes as the Israeli Knesset voted to ban Unrwa operations in the country within three months, despite international appeals.
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