On Thursday, the head of Hamas was scheduled to visit Cairo to discuss a possible cease-fire in Gaza, while Israel continued its offensive within the besieged Palestinian territory.
After mediators convened in Paris, with international efforts toward a new pause in the horrific war gathering momentum, a source told AFP that Hamas was evaluating a proposal for a six-week truce in its battle with Israel.
There was no respite in the fighting or aerial bombardment in Gaza; Israel claims that the important southern city of Khan Yunis is where senior Hamas fighters are hiding.
Overnight, witnesses said several Israeli air strikes hit the city, while aid and health workers have for days reported heavy fighting, particularly around two hospitals.
“There is a massacre taking place right now,” said Leo Cans, head of mission for international NGO Doctors Without Borders for the Palestinian Territories.
Israel accuses Hamas of operating from tunnels under hospitals in Gaza and of using medical facilities as command centres, a charge denied by the Islamist group, designated a “terrorist” organisation by the European Union and the United States.
Due to constraints on the delivery of humanitarian aid, the population is “starving to death”, the World Health Organization’s emergencies director Michael Ryan said Wednesday.
“The civilians of Gaza are not parties to this conflict and they should be protected, as should be their health facilities,” he added.
The United Nations noted in its most recent report that there has been intense bombardment throughout the Gaza Strip, especially in Khan Yunis, and that 184,000 Palestinians from the city had registered to get humanitarian aid after abandoning their homes.
