Decorations for Ramadan at a temporary camp for displaced Palestinians west of Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Ramadan has been seen as a deadline for cease-fire talks because it’s a period of fasting and prayer, and religious and nationalist sentiments often spike at the same time. - Photo from Bloomberg
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for a truce in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and the conflict in Sudan as the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan begins.
He also called for the release of hostages held by Hamas and the removal of "all obstacles to ensure the delivery of lifesaving aid at the speed and massive scale required" to Gaza, where the UN has warned that a quarter of the population are on the brink of famine.
"International humanitarian law lies in tatters," he told reporters. "And a threatened Israeli assault on Rafah could plummet the people of Gaza into an even deeper circle of hell."
Meanwhile, The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday that at least 31,112 people have been killed in the territory during more than five months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants.
The latest toll includes 67 fatalities over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 72,760 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war began on October 7 when Hamas militants attacked Israel.
In another development, Israel was checking on Monday if Hamas's second-highest military leader died in an air strike, media said, as talks stumbled to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza war to coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
If his death is confirmed, Marwan Issa would be the highest-ranking official from the Islamist militant movement taken out by Israel in the more than five-month war that has pulverised the Palestinian enclave and killed thousands.
Israeli Army Radio said Israel had bombed the Al-Nusseirat camp in central Gaza on Saturday night, where it had intelligence about the location of Issa, second-in-command of Hamas's military wing the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades.
The attack killed five people, the report said.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel was checking if the fatalities included Issa.
Neither the Israeli military nor Hamas officials immediately commented on the media reports.
On Sunday, in a statement rounding up operations from the previous 24 hours, Israel said its forces had killed soldiers in central Gaza but did not mention the camp.
Issa is high on Israel's most wanted list, together with military wing head Mohammed Deif and Hamas's Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, who are believed to have masterminded the Oct 7 attack that triggered the conflict. - Agencies
