Israel-Hamas war: Gaza death toll climbs after truce ends

Israel has told the United Nations it will not renew a visa for the top UN humanitarian aid official for Gaza and the West Bank.

Lynn Hastings, who is based in Jerusalem, has served as the deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process and UN humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory for almost three years.

"We've been informed by the Israeli authorities that they would not renew the visa of Miss Hastings past its due date at some point later this month," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

In late October, the Israeli Foreign Ministry criticized Hastings sharply on X, formerly Twitter, saying: "According to UN ethics, she is supposed to be impartial and objective, but unfortunately she is neither.

"Hastings' dangerous rhetoric endangers innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians," the ministry wrote.

Dujarric did not mention the Israeli Foreign Ministry but said Hastings had faced some "public attacks" online that "were utterly unacceptable." 

"The secretary-general is full confidence in Ms. Hastings, the way she's conducted herself and the way she's done her, her work, being the humanitarian coordinator in the occupied Palestinian territory is challenging work, to say the least, both in terms of the humanitarian situation — and the political situation," he added. 

Israel did not immediately respond to Dujarric's remarks. 

The United States said Israel would allow some humanitarian assistance to flow again into Gaza.

Trucks carrying aid through Egypt's Rafah border crossing were prevented from entering Gaza when hostilities with Hamas resumed on Friday morning.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby, however, said the US asked Israel to allow aid to resume and it looks like deliveries would be allowed after stringent inspections.

But he also said that the number of deliveries would likely be reduced.

"We want to see it restored at the level it had risen to during the pause," he said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government.

Health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 178 people had been killed by late Friday afternoon after the seven-day pause in fighting between the militants and Israel ended. 

Officials said there were also 589 injuries recorded during the day.

DW cannot independently verify death tolls in the war.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they had struck more than 200 Hamas targets after fighting resumed. 

IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote in Arabic on X, formerly Twitter, that airstrikes were carried out in Gaza's north and south, including in Khan Younis and Rafah.

The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said it had fired several barrages of rockets toward Israel. 

Qatar, a key mediator in the war, said it was committed to continuing efforts alongside its partners to secure another truce. 

"Continuous bombardment of Gaza complicates mediation efforts and exacerbates humanitarian catastrophe," said Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in comments carried by the Reuters news agency.

The head of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, has said his organization was "beyond 'concerned' that NO humanitarian aid has been allowed into Gaza today."

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said he predicted "very sad days ahead."

"Israeli Forces resumed military operations, many will be displaced including [those] seeking refuge in already crowded UNRWA shelters," he said.

Lazzarini's comments are in line with warnings from other humanitarian organizations working in Gaza, such as the International Rescue Committee, which said the return of fighting would "wipe out even the minimal relief" provided by the truce and "prove catastrophic for Palestinian civilians."

The Palestinian Red Crescent has said more than 1,000 trucks delivered aid during the weeklong pause in fighting. Of those, 310 had made it to the hard-hit north.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he discussed a post-conflict Gaza and how to create a "durable, lasting and secure peace" with his counterparts from some Arab states.

Blinken met colleagues from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the Palestinian Authority on the sidelines of the UN climate conference in Dubai.

According to Blinken, they discussed the need to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza and to secure the release of more Israeli hostages.

He also said it was "imperative" that Israel put in place clear protections for civilians after resuming its military operation in Gaza. 

"Israel has already moved out on parts of that, including sending out information, making it clear where people can be in safe areas and in Gaza. And we'll be looking at that going forward," Blinken said. 

He added that Hamas was to blame for the end of the temporary truce. He said the militant group had fired rockets before the pause had ended and "reneged on the commitments it made in terms of releasing certain hostages."

Two people have been killed in the town of Houla in southern Lebanon during Israeli shelling of the border town, according to a local official.

Although not confirming the deaths, the Israeli military said it struck "a terrorist cell" and "intercepted two launches" from Lebanon, adding that its "artillery struck the sources of the fire."

A woman and her 35-year-old son were killed in the Israeli bombardment, said Shakeeb Koteich, the head of Houla's municipal council. 

It came after Hezbollah, an Iran-backed paramilitary group in Lebanon, said it had fired on Israeli troops at the border.

Following the eruption of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, there have been almost daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel along the border.

Barring a few limited incidents, the weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza also saw a break in violence along the border with Lebanon.

The Israeli government has said there are still 137 hostages being held in Gaza.

This figure includes 115 men, 20 women and two children, according to Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy. 

Of the 137 hostages, 126 of them hold Israeli citizenship and 11 are foreigners, Levy said. The foreigners include eight Thai nationals, one Nepalese, one Tanzanian and one French-Mexican dual citizen.

German news agency dpa reported that, according to the families, eight Israeli hostages also have German passports.

During the October 7 terror attacks, Hamas and other militant groups took around 240 people from southern Israel as hostages. They also killed around 1,200 people.

The Israel Defense Forces reported that sirens had sounded in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, on Friday afternoon.

Israel did not specify what caused the sirens to go off.

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed paramilitary group in Lebanon, has frequently launched rockets at Israel during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Hezbollah is classified as a terrorist organization not only by Israel, but also by the US, Germany and several other countries. 

  

Hezbollah and Israel fought a war in 2006, after Hezbollah killed several Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid. 

IDF spokesperson Peter Lerner has defended Israel's resumption of its military offensive in Gaza on Friday after a tenuous seven-day truce.

"Hamas chose to violate the cease-fire when they chose not to release the women and children," Lerner told DW. "This is a very clear violation. It was absolutely apparent from day one that it was only a matter of time until Hamas decided not to transfer the hostages."

Lerner said the Islamist militant group could have extended the truce by releasing 20 Israeli women and children it is still holding hostage. Hamas, meanwhile, has accused Israel of ending the truce. 

On Friday morning, Israel dropped leaflets on the southern Gaza Strip, telling residents in the city of Khan Younis to move further south to Rafah, located on the border with Egypt.

When asked by DW if this means Israel is expanding its military operation in Gaza, Lerner reiterated: "We will seek out and hunt down Hamas wherever they are in the north or in the south." 

"Indeed, we've distributed these leaflets in order to get people out of harm's way," he added. "We do intend on operating. We're not giving a specific timeline, but as we proved in the past, when we say we are intent on operating, we do operate."

Lerner denied that Israel in the past has called on Palestinians to move to certain places in Gaza, and then bombed those areas. He accused Hamas of abusing the "civilian arena" and hiding behind civilian infrastructure such as mosques and schools, putting people at risk.

Hamas, a militant, Islamist Palestinian group that rules over Gaza, is considered a terrorist organization by the US, Germany, EU and others.

Germany and France on Friday both urged a renewal of the humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas.

"In these minutes, we must do everything we can to ensure that the humanitarian truce continues," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in Berlin. 

Baerbock said this is needed "both for the remaining hostages, who have been hoping for release while in dark tunnels for weeks, and for the suffering people in Gaza, who urgently need more humanitarian aid."

"The suffering must finally end for everyone," Baerbock said while demanding Hamas "to lay down its weapons."   

During the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called the end of the truce "very bad news."

Colonna labeled the revival of the truce "essential."

Following the end of the truce between Israel and Hamas, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "I deeply regret that military operations have started again in Gaza." 

Guterres hopes that "it will be possible" to renew the collapsed truce.

"The return to hostilities only shows how important it is to have a true humanitarian cease-fire," he added. 

A spokesperson for UN children's agency UNICEF also urged a "lasting cease-fire." 

"Inaction at its core is an approval of the killing of children," UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said. He said it was "reckless to think more attacks on the people of Gaza will lead to anything other than carnage."  

Israel launched its military operation against Hamas in Gaza after Hamas carried out terror attacks on Israel on October 7. Israel has said that it follows international law during its offensive and takes extra precautions to ensure the protection of  Gaza civilians.    

Dmitry Peskov, the presidential press secretary for Vladimir Putin, said Russia would "continue efforts" to free Russian hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. 

The American Jewish Committee, citing Israeli government figures, has said six Russians are held hostage in Gaza. On Wednesday, Hamas released two of the hostages with Russian citizenship, with another Russian national also freed on November 26.  

Peskov told journalists via phone that Russia "would certainly have preferred to see news of another extension of the humanitarian pause." 

Although the US, Germany, the EU and others deem Hamas to be a terrorist organization, Russia does not. In October, a high-ranking Hamas delegation visited Moscow amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.  

The Qatari Foreign Ministry said that truce negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides regarding Gaza are still ongoing. 

Qatar also expressed "deep regret" that Israel is continuing military operations after the current truce ended.

Doha urged the international community to de-escalate the current violence, saying it "complicates meditation efforts and exacerbates the humanitarian disaster in the strip." 

Qatar is a key mediator between Israel and Hamas and helped broker the previous truce agreement. The Qatari government is also seen as friendly towards Hamas, with Hamas leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh living in the country. 

Hamas, a militant, Islamist Palestinian group that rules over Gaza, is considered a terrorist organization by the US, Germany, EU and others.  

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dropped leaflets Friday morning calling on Gaza residents to immediately leave the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza, according to the AP news agency.  

The leaflets said the Khan Younis area is now a "dangerous battle zone."  

The IDF said Khan Younis residents should move further south to the Rafah area, located on Gaza's border with Egypt. 

The leaflets signal that Israel is expanding its offensive against the lslamist militant group Hamas in Gaza after a seven-day pause in the fighting. Much of Israel's actions against Hamas in the current war were concentrated in the northern part of Gaza.

The IDF on Friday also published a map showing the Gaza Strip being divided into hundreds of small zones. The IDF called on Gaza residents to keep in mind their area's number.

Israel began its military operation in Gaza after Hamas launched terror attacks on October 7. Hamas terror attacks that day left around 1,200 people dead in Israel.