Gaza City:
Hamas on Thursday called on Arab and Muslim nations to take urgent action to halt Israel’s renewed offensive on Gaza, saying they had a “direct moral and political responsibility” to “end the genocide”.
Israel resumed its air campaign early Tuesday with a wave of deadly strikes, shattering a relative calm that had pervaded in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory since a ceasefire took hold on January 19.
On Thursday, the military said that troops had resumed ground operations in the southern area of Rafah, while continuing activity in other parts of the territory.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said 504 people had been killed since Israeli air strikes began, including more than 190 under the age of 18.
The toll is among the highest since the war started more than 17 months ago with Hamas’s attack on Israel.
In a statement, Hamas said the “continued massacres… place direct political and moral responsibility on the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to end the genocide carried out in full view of the entire world.”
“We call on the Arab and Islamic countries to take urgent action in the international forums, particularly the UN’s Security Council, and implement immediate measures to halt the aggression,” it added.
Israel’s renewed offensive after talks on extending the truce reached an impasse has drawn widespread international condemnation.
The first stage of the ceasefire, under which Israeli hostages held by Hamas were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, expired early this month.
Israel rejected negotiations for a second stage, demanding the return of all remaining hostages under an extended first stage. Hamas insisted on engaging in talks for phase two.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)