[Israeli-Palestinian Conflict]The Israeli military intensifies its offensive after the United States vetoes the UN humanitarian ceasefire

After the United States voted against the UN Security Council resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Friday (12/8), its ally Israel stepped up its ground offensive in Gaza on Saturday (12/9) and even followed the instructions of the Israeli army to ” Gaza residents who took refuge in the “safe zone” were shelled.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that 133 people were killed in Israeli shelling in the past 24 hours. This wave of fighting has killed more than 17,700 people in Gaza since October 6, the vast majority of whom were women and children.

Israel countered that the Palestinian militant group Hamas must be responsible for the deaths of civilians in Gaza, saying that Hamas used civilians as human shields. The Israeli army stated that 97 soldiers have been killed in the fighting on the ground, while the Israeli army has annihilated at least 7,000 Hamas members.

Hamas launched a raid on farming communities in southern Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,200 people and kidnapping about 240 people. Israel and Kazakhstan reached a ceasefire agreement at the end of last month, with Hamas releasing hundreds of hostages and Israel releasing hundreds of imprisoned Palestinians. The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Kazakhstan broke down after only lasting 7 days, and the two sides fought again on the 1st of this month.

The United Nations Security Council voted on a resolution on the 8th calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but the United States used its power as a permanent member to veto it. The United States said that it does not support an unsustainable ceasefire and “will only sow the seeds for the next war.”

The U.S. State Department also bypassed Congress on the 8th and urgently sold nearly 14,000 tank ammunition to Israel. The Israeli army continued to step up its ground offensive in Gaza on Saturday. An Israeli spokesperson released a new dispersal map through the social media “X” platform, asking residents of Ganyounis, the largest city in the south, to “urgently” leave the six newly listed areas on the map. The new row of dispersal blocks was previously considered a safe area from the flames of war.

Zainab Khalil, who took refuge here with 30 relatives and friends, said: “We dare not sleep at night. We let the children go to sleep while the adults stayed awake. We were worried that if we were bombed, we would have to escape with the children quickly. . During the day it’s another miserable beginning, how are we going to feed our children?”

Abu Yasser al-Khatib, a resident of Gaza Sarafa city who has fled to the Egyptian border, said: “The Gaza corridor where we are now is basically governed by the law of the jungle of the United States.”

There is no hope of a ceasefire and no humanitarian supplies. Currently, 9 out of 10 residents of northern Gaza have been without food for at least a day, while 2 out of 3 residents in the south are in the same situation.

Mustafa al-Najjar, who took refuge in a UN-run school, said: “I am so hungry. We can only eat canned food and biscuits, but the amount is not enough. What is even more painful is when you see your son and daughter because Too hungry to cry.”

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