TRANSCRIPT
Israel's military forces are continuing their offensive into Gaza City, forcing closures of hospitals and putting further pressure on ceasefire talks.
And the United States claims a pier used to facilitate humanitarian aid into the enclave has been reinstalled, in a desperate bid to bring relief to the many thousands of people affected by war.
Despite global pressure to cease its military operations and focus on a ceasefire deal with Hamas, the Israeli armed forces are continuing their incursion on Gaza City for yet another day.
The intensity of their attacks, which are being carried out on the ground and via air strikes, have forced thousands of already displaced Palestinians to flee.
They have also caused the evacuations of hospitals and clinics, which were shut down due to the conflict.
The Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza has been overrun by patients after the closure of the main medical facility in Gaza City and others around the enclave.
Marawan al-Sultan, the director of the hospital, says the situation is becoming increasingly desperate.
"After the Al-Ma'madani Hospital was put out of service, which is a hospital that serves an entire city, serving the city of Gaza, dozens of injured arrived at the Indonesian Hospital, and we received approximately 80 cases, some of whom were admitted for surgical operations, and some to intensive care rooms, in light of the scarcity. The situation is catastrophic and does not bode well, and if the necessary fuel is not supplied to operate the electrical generators, those injuries will lead to early death."
Attacks are continuing throughout the enclave, with 29 people killed and dozens more wounded in an attack on a refugee camp in southern Gaza.
The health ministry in Gaza said the attack was carried out close to a school on the east of Khan Younis where displaced women and children were seeking shelter.
Thousands of children continue to face the threat of malnutrition as the health system is unable to keep up with the needs caused by the war.
Palestinian mother Ghaneyma Joma has a son who is currently being treated at a hospital in Khan Younis.
She says there's nothing that the doctors can do for him.
"It's distressing to see my child in front of my eyes lying there dying from malnutrition because I cannot provide him with anything due to the war, the closing of crossings and the contaminated water. My child was normal before this. His condition only deteriorated during the war. A week ago he was in hospital and he is now worse than before."
The latest round of assaults by the Israeli Defence Forces on Gaza have been described as some of the heaviest since the start of the war on October 7th last year.
There are fears that they could derail negotiation efforts for a ceasefire in the enclave.
Mediators from Egypt, Qatar [[cutter]], Jordan and the U-S have been putting pressure on the two sides, trying to achieve a truce.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller has admitted it may take some time to reach that goal.
"We have made progress. We certainly think we're closer to a deal than we were, a few weeks ago, but that doesn't mean we'll get one. You've heard the Secretary say before that oftentimes in these types of negotiations, the issues that are saved for the end are the hardest ones. And so even when a deal seems within reach, it doesn't mean you're going to get one. All we can do is continue to make clear that this deal is in the interest of Israel. It's in the interests of the Palestinian people, in Gaza. It would alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza. So we hope we're able to come to an agreement, as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, efforts are continuing to provide relief to the people suffering due to the war.
The Pentagon has confirmed US forces will soon be able to re-establish a pier that was meant to be used for the provision of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The temporary wharf had been severely damaged during the conflict, leaving thousands of relief packages stuck in Cyprus.
But Pentagon Press Secretary General Patrick Ryder says a significant amount of aid will now be provided to those in need.
"My understanding is that Centcom intends to tentatively re-anchor the pier this week. So we'll keep you updated on that. Which will again enable the delivery of additional aid into Gaza. As far as the amount of aid that is in the marshalling area, again, I'd refer you to World Food Program for the specific amount. But my understanding is that, they've been able to transport, a significant amount of aid from the marshalling area onward to warehouses for onward distribution."
The pier will not remain permanently in use and will be dismantled once all aid packages from Cyprus have made their way into Gaza.
The conflict has made it increasingly difficult for humanitarian aid groups to carry out their work in the enclave and provide support for thousands of people.
Many members have fallen victims to attacks, with some even losing their lives in their attempts to deliver aid.
Philippe Lazzarini, general commissioner of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, otherwise known as UNRWA, has condemned the attacks against his fellow aid members.
"This relentless attack against the agency - not only disregarding our staff, of our premises, of our operation, but also on, I would say, the broader political attempt to dismantle the agency - and I do believe that we collectively have to push back. First of all, it is outrageous that the staff, the premises and the operation of the agency have been the target during the war."
The conflict in Gaza is still threatening to embroil the rest of the Middle East into a wider war.
Israel is attempting to fend off the threat of Hezbollah in its northern borders, with Iran keeping a close eye on the situation.
Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels from Yemen are continuing to target ships that attempt to cross the Middle East waters that might have links to Israel.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea says their most recent attack was on a U-S vessel that was targeted in the Arabian Sea.
“The naval, UAV, and missile forces of the Yemeni armed forces carried out several military operations, as follows: the American ship Maersk Sentosa was targeted in the Arabian Sea by naval forces and missile forces in a joint operation with a number of ballistic and winged missiles. The hit was direct and accurate.”
It comes as Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant approved a plan for the introduction of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the army, in a move that's set to cause further tension between the government and the military.
