TRANSCRIPT
Palestinians have continued to flee northern Gaza as Israel’s military pushed deeper into dense urban neighbourhoods in its battle with Hamas militants.
They joined a growing exodus of people heading toward the south to escape the fighting as Gaza officials say the Palestinian death toll from the war passed 11,000 people.
But the search for safety has grown increasingly desperate.
Fedaa Shangan is among those heading south but is having trouble walking.
“I had a caesarean section in the hospital (in Al Quds hospital), and the wound is still fresh. I feel tired, and there is pain in my leg. The occupation army stormed the hospital yesterday with tanks and bulldozers and bombarded us with mortar shells. They did not care about the presence of patients, children, women and the elderly. They did not care about anyone. Their goal was bombing."
Gaza City is the focus of Israel’s campaign to crush Hamas following its deadly October 7 incursion, and the Israeli military says one of Hamas’ main command centres is inside and under the al-Shifa Hospital complex.
Hamas and hospital staff deny that claim, saying the military is creating a pretext to strike it.
The Gaza Health Ministry Undersecretary says Israeli snipers have deployed around the hospital, firing at any movement inside the compound.
And airstrikes have destroyed several homes next to the hospital, killing three people, including a doctor.
The ministry says the hospital's last generator ran out of fuel on Saturday, leading to the deaths of three premature babies and four other patients.
Israeli Defence Force spokesman Daniel Hagari says troops placed 300 litres of fuel near al-Shifa hospital and coordinated the delivery with hospital officials.
"We talked with the head of the hospital and we are still waiting for the hospital to pick up the fuel. The Hamas leadership through the Hamas health ministry is stopping and putting pressure on the hospital not to come and pick it up."
Foreigners and those holding second nationalities have made their way to the Rafah border to try to leave Gaza as fighting intensifies.
Hundreds of foreign nationals and dependents and dozens of severely injured Gazans have passed through since the crossing began facilitating limited evacuations on November the 1st.
Sarah al-Ghol says she just wants to go home.
“It's been hard for me and my brother It's been really hard for me and my brother and other people, millions of people We came from the north, we walked more than like 5 kilometres on feet and it's been so hard and people were dying, were mentally unwell. It's been really a tough time and we really would like to go back to the United States and be safe.”
Some key stakeholders have revealed the direction of talks on a possible future for Gaza.
Osama Hamdan is Hamas' representative in Lebanon.
He says Gaza can only be governed by Palestinians.
“We tell the American administration and the leaders of the occupation: Gaza will only be governed by its people, and there will be no political or security authority except for the Palestinians there. We are a free people who do not accept guardianship from anyone, and our blood and our lives will be the price for our freedom and for the dignity of our patient and determined people, whose greatness and power cannot be described in words. So, save yourselves the trouble of overthinking, and think about how the enemy gets down from the tree before it gets burned. Only agents and traitors will ride your tanks to Gaza, and you will not find anyone who dares to do so.”
Michael Herzog, Israel's ambassador to the United States, says Israel's government agrees in principle but there are conditions.
“We are not in Gaza in order to occupy Gaza or to govern Gaza. We are there to remove the Hamas military threat against Israel and their ability to rebuild their capabilities and to strike again and again as they are saying they would like to do. That's our intent long-term. We have a lot of we put a lot of thinking into that and we are entering a dialogue with the US administration about that. We understand it is our position that Palestinians will have to govern themselves. What we did is that role of the Palestinian Authority remains to be seen because everybody understands that the PA, in its current composition, they can hardly govern Ramallah, so certainly not in Gaza. They will have to undergo a reform. But in the meantime, there will be Palestinians will have to govern Gaza.”
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people have marched in Paris to protest against rising antisemitism.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, representatives of several parties on the left as well as far-right leader Marine Le Pen attended the march in the French capital amid tight security.
President Emmanuel Macron did not attend but expressed his support for the protest.
France has the largest Jewish population in Europe.
Patrick Klugman, a lawyer and a member of “Freethem” committee working to obtain the release of people held by Hamas and other groups in Gaza, says the large participation has reassured Jewish communities in France.
"It's a huge symbol for us because it is a national demonstration, not just in Paris. It was called by the leaders of the two assemblies, the parliamentary assemblies. I think we are the only place in the world where such a mobilisation is possible and has been made while the Jews are attacked everywhere else in the world. So I'm very proud of my country because this mobilisations much like what means French republic."
Israeli officials confirm 41 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground offensive began.
At least 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mainly in the initial Hamas attack.
The Foreign Ministry had previously estimated the civilian death toll at 1,400, telling the AFP that this revision comes after unidentified corpses previously included in the tally were found to belong to Hamas fighters.
Nearly 240 people abducted by Hamas from Israel remain captive.
The Gaza Health Ministry says more than 11,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed since the war began.
