Top Updates from Gaza War: Hostage Group Head Resigns, Child Deaths Rise, Ramadan Deadline

As Israel threatened to continue its onslaught throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan if Hamas would not release all detainees and begin the attack in the far-southern Rafah region, where 1.4 million Palestinians are seeking safety from the conflict, deadly combat resumed in Gaza on Monday.

“If the captives are not returned before Ramadan, the conflict will continue everywhere, including the Rafah region. Hamas has an option. Benny Gantz, a member of the war cabinet, said, “They can submit, free the hostages, and the people of Gaza can celebrate the feast of Ramadan.”

GAZA’S EXPLOSION OF CHILD DEATHS
UN scientists cautioned that an explosive rise in child fatalities in Gaza might be caused by the region’s severe food shortage, rising rates of malnutrition, and widespread illness outbreak.

Ted Chaiban, deputy director of humanitarian operations at UNICEF, said that “the Gaza Strip is poised to witness an explosion in preventable child deaths which would compound the already unbearable level of child deaths in Gaza.”

UN agencies for children, food, and health together assessed that at least 90% of Gaza’s under-five population suffers from one or more infectious illnesses.

RESIGNS’ TOP ADVICE FOR HOSTAGE FAMILY GROUPS
Leader of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Ronen Tzur, a media advisor, resigned and that he did so because families were informed by politicians that they would not otherwise support the organization.

He did not explain why lawmakers wanted him gone or why, four months after he had taken the lead as the campaign’s spokesman, they were removing him at this time. Tzur participated actively in anti-government demonstrations and was a temporary Labor party member of the Knesset, according to a Times of Israel story.

Israel at the ICJ
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) was informed by Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki that the Israeli occupation of Palestine constituted “colonialism and apartheid,” and he requested the court to declare an immediate and unconditional end to Israel’s occupation.

“The Palestinians have suffered under apartheid and colonialism… These remarks have infuriated some people. The reality we are living with should be infuriating them, Al-Maliki said the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

This week, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is conducting hearings on the legal ramifications of Israel’s occupation since 1967. A record 52 nations, including the US and Russia, are set to testify.