This reliance was based on the ministry's data aligning with independent evaluations by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). However, due to the recent intensity of the conflict, it has become challenging to collect data independently. Now, the only primary source for casualty figures is the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which is under the influence of Hamas.
The controversy at Al-Ahli Arab hospital has raised doubts about the reliability of this source. Journalists and organizations, including the UNRWA and OCHA, have now been urged to exercise more caution when citing these figures. The Libération article concludes by emphasizing the importance of prudence in evaluating casualty figures in the ongoing conflict, even as it notes that Amnesty International has reported evidence of potential war crimes in recent Israeli attacks in Gaza.
Israeli forces continued to strike Hamas positions across Gaza on Monday. The Israel Defense Forces said it struck some 320 targets belonging to the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups in Gaza over the past day. As the IDF prepares for a ground offensive in Gaza, the military said the strikes are focusing on sites that could potentially endanger its forces.
Meanwhile, the question of a humanitarian ceasefire to allow aid to be delivered into Gaza is being addressed by the 27 countries of the European Union on Monday where foreign ministers are meeting in Luxembourg.
"A humanitarian pause is necessary to allow aid to be distributed," said EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell. Gaza needs "more aid, more quickly."
Iran Threatens Haifa, As Fears Rise Of War Spreading Across Region
Ali Fadavi, the deputy commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards takes part in an anti-Israel rally before the Friday prayers to show solidarity with the Palestinian people on October 13
Rouzbeh Fouladi/ZUMA
Ali Fadavi, the deputy commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards, said on Monday that "if it is necessary and [the order is given]," Iran will strike Israel's northern city of Haifa, "without hesitation,” threatening direct combat between Israel and the regime in Tehran.
Speaking to Iranian students at the University of Tehran, Fadavi replied to a question on Iran taking direct action against Israel, answering: "Some of you young people consider practical action to be a direct missile to Haifa, of course, if it is necessary, this will be done, and it will be done without hesitation."
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has warned Israel that the Middle East could spiral out of control if it does not stop strikes on Gaza. Iran supports both Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah. "I warn the U.S. and its proxy Israel that if they do not immediately stop the crime against humanity and genocide in Gaza, anything is possible at any moment and the region will go out of control," Amir-Abdollahian said at a news conference in Tehran.
On Sunday, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu paid a visit to troops in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon, where there has been an uptick in gunfire exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah in the past 24 hours.
"We're in a battle for our lives. A battle for our home, this is not an exaggeration, this is the war. It's do or die - they need to die," Netanyahu said, warning Hezbollah not to enter the war. "They will be making the biggest mistake of their lives. And we will hit them with an unimaginable force. It will mean devastation for them and the state of Lebanon," he added.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has declared that it is "fully ready to fight against Israel".
Adding to fears that the Israel-Hamas war might spread across the Middle East was the U.S. announcement Sunday that it was sending more military assets to the region. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington would step up military readiness in the Middle East while assisting in the defense of Israel in response to what he said were "recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces" across the region. The U.S. has already sent two aircraft carriers, their support ships and about 2,000 Marines to the region.
In neighboring Syria, where Iran has a military presence, Israeli missiles hit Damascus and Aleppo international airports early on Sunday, killing at least two workers, according to Syrian state media.
Read this piece by Pierre Haski on the risk of the war spreading across the region, translated from French by Worldcrunch.
Updated Hostage Numbers; U.S. asks Israel to delay ground offensive
Israel has raised the number of confirmed hostages held by Hamas in Gaza to 222. Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said: “We are working in all ways to free the hostages and bring them home,” adding that recent raids inside Gaza were aimed at seeking information about the state of the hostages.
The U.S. government, meanwhile, has cited the safety of the hostages as one reason that Israel should delay its imminent ground invasion into Gaza. American officials have also asked Israel not to launch the ground war yet in order to allow much needed aid for civilians to enter Gaza.
The Friday release of two Americans held by Hamas signaled the possibility of freeing more of the around 200 people believed to be kidnapped by the militant group after its deadly attacks two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says the military’s campaign in Gaza "may take a month, two or three, but at the end there will be no more Hamas". The minister expressed his appreciation to the air force and said the next stage, a widely-anticipated ground operation, "will come soon."
Aid Slowly Trickles into Gaza through Egypt as Humanitarian Situation Worsens
Humanitarian aid began to slowly trickle into Gaza over the weekend through the Rafah Border Crossing, the Palestinian enclave’s only access point with Egypt. A third convoy of Humanitarian aid trucks, organized by the Egyptian Red Crescent, entered Gaza on Monday morning. The number of trucks has not been specified.
The first batch of aid was delivered Saturday morning, after Israeli officials delayed the operation by making demands related to truck inspections, fuel deliveries, volume and final destinations. Sunday night, a second fleet of aid trucks crossed the border.
Countries around the world are sending humanitarian aid to Egypt to be trucked into Gaza, such as Turkey and India, according to Qatari state-owned TV station Al Jazeera and Indian news website The Wire respectively.
Israel has not moved on its demand that fuel not be included in humanitarian aid packages to Gaza, out of fear that it could be diverted to Hamas to power its vehicles and weapons. The aid thus far has consisted only of food, water and medical supplies. Fuel is needed to power Gaza’s already weak hospital system, which is collapsing and is severely overworked as a result of Israeli air raids — as well as other critical services such as sewage systems, water desalination plants and bakeries.
The current amount of aid, while surely welcomed by Gazans, Is barely scratching the surface of what is needed in Gaza currently. The international community is working to increase the amount of trucks per day to over 100, which roughly resembles the pre-war volume. The first two convoys consisted of 20 and 14 trucks respectively, — the size of Monday morning’s batch is unknown at this time.
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