War on Gaza: Israel begins ground invasion as humanitarian crisis deepens
A Qatar broadcaster, Al Jazeera, said its correspondents in the Gaza Strip were able to provide sporadic updates via satellite but direct communication is often hampered due to the near-total communications blackout in the bombarded enclave.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent, in Khan Younis saïd the blackout had sent people into a devastating emotional state as some have family members in the northern part of Gaza; and are not able to get hold of them up to this moment.
“I also have family members at a hospital in Gaza, who are taking care of a patient but have not been able to reach them.
“The situation in the hospitals is still very difficult. One truck brought medical supplies to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis but that was just a drop in the ocean as the needs here are massive.
“Meanwhile, the hospital is keeping its gates open for people if they want to evacuate. It has been forced, however, to shut down major departments as it has only one power generator working due to the lack of fuel,” he added.
The United Arab Emirates asked the UN Security Council on Saturday to meet “as soon as possible” following Israel’s communication blackout across Gaza and its expanded ground operation.
The 15-member council could meet as early as Sunday, diplomats said, and the UAE has asked for UN aid chief Martin Griffiths and Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, the UN agency providing aid to
Palestinians, to brief, Reuters reports.
Nigeria, clerics urge end to killings
Meanwhile, the Federal Government of Nigeria is reiterating its call for a quick de-escalation of hostilities by Israel against Palestine and a return to the negotiating table to continue the search for peaceful resolutions.
It also called for the implementation of the two-state solution as a permanent settlement of the inter-generational cycle of violence.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf M. Tuggar, made the call in a statement he personally signed on Saturday.
The Nigerian government also called for an immediate durable and sustained humanitarian truce between Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza and asked for the opening of a humanitarian corridor.
While noting that the situation in Gaza is dire and requires immediate attention as a result of the recent uptick in violence, he said women, children and other vulnerable groups were among innocent civilians who have suffered greatly as a result of the indiscriminate violence and are currently bearing the consequences.
Similarly, Nigerian Muslims and Christian clerics have jointly appealed to the international community to halt the killing of civilians in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes.
The clerics also expressed their concern about the number of civilian casualties in Gaza, which includes both Muslims and Christians.
This call for action was made during an interactive session with the Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdallah Abu Shawesh, organised by a Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Shaikh Ahmad Gumi.
Speaking at the forum, Pastor Yohanna Buru pleaded with religious leaders in Nigeria to understand the Palestine-Israel conflict to avoid speaking out of ignorance. He emphasized the existence of different interpretations and misinformation about the conflict that has led some individuals to overlook the atrocities being committed against the people in Gaza.
In his remarks, Nafiu Baba Ahmed, secretary to the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, noted that many Nigerian Christians did not fully understand the situation in Israel due to Western media propaganda.