The US president in talks with Egypt and other partners to reach a truce. In Gaza the only laboratory for Covid-19 is out of use. Bernie Sanders: Palestinian rights matter. The updated toll is 212 victims in the Strip, including 61 minors.
Jerusalem (AsiaNews / Agencies) - US President Joe Biden supports a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, after eight days of intense violence between the parties that have already caused hundreds of victims, including dozens of children.
The White House tenant spoke with interim Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirming the American commitment, in collaboration with Egypt and other nations, to reach a truce. However, despite the declarations, Washington has repeatedly blocked a resolution of the UN Security Council to end hostilities in the region.
212 people died in Gaza alone, including 61 minors; on the Israeli front there are 10 victims, including two children.
In a statement released by the White House, President Biden " "encouraged Israel to make every effort to ensure the protection of innocent civilians".
"The two leaders discussed progress in Israel's military operations against Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza," it added.
President Biden "expressed his support for a ceasefire and discussed US engagement with Egypt and other partners towards that end", it said.
Meanwhile, fighting continues on the ground with Israeli fighters returning to hit the Palestinian enclave, in response to new rocket launches from the Strip.
Mohammad Abu Rayya, a paediatrician in Gaza, tells the BBC that "there are no longer even places for victims in the morgues". The situation "is constantly worsening" and "the system is collapsing". "It will take at least 10 years to rebuild what has been damaged in Gaza". The only laboratory capable of carrying out tests for Covid-19 is also out of order, in an area where the positivity rate on new tampons stands at 28%, one of the highest in the world.
From the United States also comes the critical voice of the socialist - Democrat - Bernie Sanders, according to whom the American government must promote greater efforts with a view to peace. " We should also understand that, while Hamas firing rockets into Israeli communities is absolutely unacceptable, today’s conflict did not begin with those rockets.".
Sheikh Jarrah's Palestinian families in Jerusalem " have been living under the threat of eviction for many years, navigating a legal system designed to facilitate their forced displacement. And over the past weeks, extremist settlers have intensified their efforts to evict them."
At the same time, we are witnessing " At the same time, we are seeing the rise of a new generation of activists who want to build societies based on human needs and political equality."
“if the United States is going to be a credible voice on human rights on the global stage, we must uphold international standards of human rights consistently, even when it’s politically difficult. We must recognize that Palestinian rights matter. Palestinian lives matter."