LONDON: Unending waves of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza over the past fortnight have aggravated an already perilous situation for the enclave’s children, who have suffered for more than a decade with no end to the conflict in sight.

Health officials in the Gaza Strip say that more than 2,300 children have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas that erupted following the Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel by the Palestinian militant group.

TEL AVIV: The Israeli army accused Hamas on Friday of abusing hospitals in the Gaza Strip for military purposes, as war rages in and around the Palestinian territory.
The allegation was swiftly denied by Hamas, and the main UN agency working in Gaza said earlier it had mechanisms in place to prevent aid being diverted.
“Hamas wages war from hospitals” in Gaza, military spokesman Daniel Hagari told journalists, adding that the group was also using fuel stored in hospitals to help carry out its operations.

BEIRUT: A military convoy of the Lebanese army in the border village of Aytaroun has reportedly come under fire from Israeli forces, but no casualties were reported.

Clashes between the two sides have intensified on the southern front after significant de-escalation for just one day.

Hezbollah announced on Friday that it had targeted the Israeli military outpost of Misgav Am — which faces the Lebanese village of Al-Adayseh — with guided missiles, “damaging part of its equipment.”

NEW YORK CITY: The United Nations General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly called for an immediate humanitarian truce between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas and demanded aid access to the besieged Gaza Strip and protection of civilians.
The resolution drafted by Arab states is not binding but carries political weight, taking the global temperature as Israel steps up ground operations in Gaza in retaliation for the worst Hamas attack on civilians in Israel’s 75-year-old history on Oct. 7.

JERUSALEM: Israeli security forces stopped young Palestinians from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, requiring them to say prayers outside Jerusalem’s Old City, before letting several thousand elder worshippers enter under continued tight curbs.
The authority in charge, the Jerusalem Islamic Endowments Department, said 5,000 worshippers performed Friday prayers at the holy site. That compares to about 50,000 on average prior to the conflict.