UAE calls for de-escalation in Gaza and preserving civilian lives

Efforts for calm between Israel and the Palestinian factions

Palestinians inspect a destroyed house after an Israeli air strike in Gaza.

EPA

Multiple sources said that Israel agreed to the truce in Gaza, pursuant to the mediation of Cairo, and Palestinian sources said that an Egyptian security delegation arrived in Gaza yesterday afternoon, and an official in the delegation said that Israel agreed to the truce, while a source in the Palestinian factions confirmed that the negotiations continued until yesterday evening at the highest levels to calm down.

The UAE stressed the need to restore calm to the Gaza Strip, reduce the escalation and preserve the lives of civilians. The Director of the Strategic Communication Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Afra Mahsh Al-Hamli, said in a statement that the UAE expresses its grave concern about the current escalation, and calls for the practice of The utmost restraint, to avoid being drawn into new levels of violence and instability.

She pointed out that the UAE, as a member of the UN Security Council, submitted a request with France, China, Ireland and Norway to hold a closed meeting of the council to discuss current developments and discuss ways to advance international efforts to achieve a comprehensive and just peace.

On the field level, two Palestinians were killed yesterday, in an Israeli raid on a residential house in the northern Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian medical sources.

The sources told the German News Agency (dpa), that paramedics and rescue workers retrieved the bodies of two young men from under the rubble of a house that was destroyed in an Israeli raid in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the total number of Palestinian fatalities has risen to 31 since the start of Israel's raids on the Gaza Strip last Friday afternoon, including six children, four women, and 265 injuries.

For its part, the Israeli army announced that it attacked 140 targets of the "Jihad Movement" in the Gaza Strip, including 10 military sites, six weapons depots and an offensive ground tunnel.

According to a statement by the army, it monitored the firing of about 470 rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory, 97% of which were intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome system.

And the Civil Defense Directorate in Gaza warned that it is facing a severe shortage of equipment needed for rescue operations, with the continued Israeli raids on the Strip and targeting residential homes.

During a press conference in Gaza, the Civil Defense called on the international community to intervene urgently in order to bring rescue equipment into the Strip, and to act to spare civilians from targeting and bombing.

Yesterday, the government media office in Gaza said that Israel's continuous raids on the Strip for the third consecutive day have left extensive destruction and damage to the infrastructure.

In a statement, the media office stated that the destruction of nine residential buildings was monitored, while nearly 1,500 housing units were damaged, of which 16 units were completely destroyed and 71 units became invalid.

According to the statement, Israel's raids damaged dozens of acres of agricultural land amid warnings of the death of hundreds of thousands of birds due to the prevention of the introduction of fodder due to the continued closure of the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing.

The statement warned of the escalation of the electricity crisis in light of the stopping of the power plant, as the deficit reached 79% of the needs of the Gaza Strip.

For its part, the Federation of Gaza Strip Municipalities warned of the continued deterioration of the humanitarian, economic and environmental conditions in the Strip, with the continued Israeli raids, the closure of the crossings, and the high temperatures during the summer.

A statement issued by the Union said that the continuation of Israel’s raids threatens to stop water wells from pumping to homes, stop sewage stations and re-pollute sea water.

The Palestinian presidency announced that "Israel's aggression against the Palestinians represents a transgression of all red lines, and an attempt to push matters towards escalation and more tension."

In a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned the dangerous Israeli escalation against the Palestinian people and their sanctities in Al-Aqsa Mosque. The spokesman stated that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is continuing his efforts with regional and international parties to stop the Israeli escalation.

Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh stressed that contacts are underway at various levels to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza, and to coordinate efforts to bring urgent humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip through Egypt.

On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz stressed that the operation in Gaza will continue as long as necessary, and they said in a joint statement that "the Israeli army will continue to launch raids on targets and thwart cells that launch rockets."

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