Israel’s bombardment of southern Gaza is the “worst bombardment of the war right now”, Unicef spokesperson James Elder said on Sunday.
“I am seeing massive child casualties,” Elder stated on X (Twitter).
“We have a final warning to save children; and our collective conscience,” he added.
Israel must respect int’l law
Meanwhile, the prosecutor has stated in Ramalla that ‘Israel must respect international law’.
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) called on Israel Sunday to respect the international rules of war and said he was accelerating his investigation into violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
“In Gaza, there is no justification for doctors to perform operations without light, for children to be operated upon without anaesthetics. Imagine the pain,” ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in a video message posted online after a four-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
“I was crystal clear, that this is the time to comply with the law. If Israel doesn’t comply now, they shouldn’t complain later.”
No swap without ceasefire
Hamas has announced that there will be no prisoner swap with the Israeli enemy until ceasefire is achieved in Gaza.
Israel’s ongoing war on besieged Gaza has killed more than 15,207 Palestinians, most of whom are women, children, and elderly people.
Deputy Hamas chief Saleh Al Arouri told Al Jazeera TV that there will be no prisoner exchange with Israel until there was a ceasefire in Gaza.
Arouri said the hostages still being held captive by Hamas were Israeli soldiers and civilian men who had previously served in the Israeli army.
He said they would not be freed unless there was a ceasefire and all Palestinian detainees were also released.
“Let the war take its course. This decision is final. We will not compromise on it,” Arouri said.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry in Gaza has said the death toll has surpassed 15,200 and that 70 percent of those killed were women and children.
The figure was announced on Saturday by ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al Qidra, who did provide further details.
More than 40,000 people have been wounded, Al Qidra said.
Turkish President Erdogan said Ankara will do everything in its power to make sure Israel is held accountable under international law.
Erdogan said that about 3,000 lawyers have appealed to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
“We expect those who commit genocide, those butchers of Gaza, who have been caught red-handed, especially Netanyahu, to receive the necessary punishment,” Erdogan said.
“We want all Israeli authorities who are complicit in this genocide to be tried and punished.”
