Shaun
UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has told Al Jazeera that he has “never seen anything like” the scale of destruction that has taken place in Gaza. Fletcher described conditions faced by Palestinians in Gaza as “pretty grim” and worse than anything he had seen in Darfur, Syria or on the front lines of the Ukraine-Russia war.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Fletcher said. “This is the toughest day of my working life. It is utterly, utterly pitiful what we’re seeing here.” Fletcher added that the two-week ceasefire has nursed a “growing defiance” among the Palestinians he has spoken to.
“After two weeks of the ceasefire, people have managed to get a bit more sleep. They’ve managed to get a bit more food inside them, there is a sense of growing defiance, which I’m hearing everyone, everyone has come up to me and insisted on telling their story,” he said.
Strong winds, rain and winter conditions are worsening the suffering of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, where many families are living in worn-out tents after their homes were destroyed by Israel’s bombardment.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza since a ceasefire took effect last month, pausing Israel’s 15-month assault. However, most have found their homes destroyed or severely damaged.
The Israeli military has arrested several young men from the outskirts of Tulkarem, in a continuation of its 11-day operation against the occupied West Bank city, the Wafa news agency reports.
Multiple military operations have been carried out across Tulkarem over recent hours, targeting the Tulkarem refugee camp and a hospital, while Israeli forces are also occupying buildings throughout the city.
Palestinian fighters have detonated an explosive device near an Israeli military vehicle during clashes near the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.
The al-Quds Brigades-Jenin Battalion, has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it resulted in “confirmed casualties” among Israeli forces.
It comes as Israeli operations continue across the occupied West Bank, with military vehicles storming the city of Nablus from the Deir Sharaf checkpoint.
Local sources have also reported Israeli military vehicles operating near al-Ain camp, west of Nablus. Other raids were reported in Beit Kahil, north of Hebron, the Fawwar camp, and al-Yamoun, west of Jenin.
