US Foreign Secretary calls for Gaza ceasefire as WHO halts operations amid Israeli bombardments

DURING A VISIT to Israel, American foreign minister Antony Blinken called on the US ally bring about an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon to avoid further escalation in the region with Iran.

It is the Secretary of State’s 11th visit to the region since the war in Gaza began and comes amid continued American efforts to convince Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire deal to limit regional fallout. 

International concerns are mounting over tens of thousands of civilians who trapped by fighting in Gaza’s north, where Israel launched a major air and ground assault this month and have severely hampered aid deliveries into the area.

Blinken said “progress” is being made on deliveries of food, water and crucial medical supplies for Gazan but said more needed to be done. With winter approaching, displaced Gazans are beginning to fear the cold.

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The WHO has also paused its rollout of Polio vaccines – after cases first emerged in the Gaza Strip after decades of its being eradicated – as has Israeli air strikes intensified within the dense region.

Ahmad al-Razz, a displaced Palestinian, said he sewed sacks together to make his tent on the beach near Deir el-Balah.

“We are freezing every night because we are right by the sea, and we have no blankets or coverings to keep us warm,” said the 42-year-old.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has also said another of its workers had been killed in Gaza, after a strike hit an UNRWA vehicle.

An AFP photographer reported a strike in the southern city of Khan Yunis, leaving a mangled aid truck and mourners gathered around two bodies.

- © AFP 2024, additional reporting by Muiris O’Cearbhaill