“The situation in the Gaza Strip is getting worse by the hour.” The World Health Organization (WHO) says the explosions affected the entire sector and intensified in the south, from Khan Younis, the second city, to Rafah, on the border with Egypt. “There are no safe zones,” agree major international organizations. The Israeli army is advancing south of the sector and approaching Khan Yunis, which it considers another Hamas stronghold.

Israeli forces, which had concentrated their offensive in the north before the truce began on November 24, have now dropped leaflets in several cities in the south, warning Palestinians to move elsewhere. More than 1.8 million Gazans left the north with the idea that the south would be safer, but many have not found shelter with minimal conditions and are not safe. This is the largest population displacement since the Nakba, which resulted from the founding of Israel in 1948.

“So-called safe zones… are not possible, and I think the authorities know that,” James Elder, a UNICEF spokesman, said in a video conference. WHO Representative in the Occupied Territories Richard Peperkorn stressed that the health system in the sector has been destroyed. “We are faced with a growing humanitarian catastrophe,” he stressed. Twenty-six of the sector’s 35 hospitals are no longer operational. Medical centers in the south, such as the Nasser compound, are in urgent need of blood as the wounded continue to arrive.

The advance of the Israeli army to the south confirms a new stage in the war. According to satellite images analyzed New York Times. Hamas leaders would barricade themselves in Khan Yunis after Israel invaded Gaza City. Israeli military sources note that the war could continue for another two months.

Israel’s war against Hamas, which began on October 7 in response to the terrorist group’s killing of 1,200 Israeli civilians, is the deadliest in the Arab-Israeli conflict since the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. To the death toll from the Hamas attack we must add 15,900 deaths in the Gaza Strip. More than 800 Gazans have already been killed since the war resumed after a seven-day truce.

Qatar, mediator takes sides

From November 24 to November 30, the Israeli army and the Hamas terrorist group observed a truce in the Gaza Strip, achieved through the mediation of Qatar and pressure from the United States. More than a hundred Israeli hostages, including most women and children, as well as other nationalities (such as Thai workers), were able to return to their homes, and Israel also released about 300 Palestinian prisoners, many of them minors.

Until the last minute of the 30th, Qatar hoped to extend the truce for a longer period. However, Israel accused Hamas of launching rockets at cities on its territory and resumed the attack on Friday, December 1. Since the start of the war, Israel has carried out about 10,000 attacks, and now the bombing has intensified even more. The end of hostilities seems distant.

Qatar, which has so far exercised caution in the hope that its mediation will produce more results, has accused Israel of “genocide.” Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani said it was “a pity” that the international community did not stop “this heinous crime,” Al Jazeera reported.

Speaking at the opening of the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Doha, al-Thani said: “The Israeli occupying forces have violated all political, ethical and humanitarian values. It is a shame for the international community to allow this heinous crime to continue.”

He accused Israel of “systematic and deliberate killing of unarmed innocent civilians.” He concluded: “This is genocide committed by Israel.” In turn, he appealed to the UN Security Council with a request to force Israel to return to the negotiating table.

Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant insist they will not stop until Hamas is completely destroyed. And no stone will be left unturned on the Strip.