TRANSCRIPT
In the latest development in Gaza, Israel has bombed a tent encampment in Khan Younis while displaced Palestinians slept, killing at least 40 people and injuring over 60 according to initial reports from Palestinian media.
The Gaza civil emergency service is still recovering bodies of those killed but says the missiles caused three craters as deep as nine metres and set at least 20 tents on fire.
The displaced residents are shocked as the encampment had been designated as a 'humanitarian area' by Israel.
The Israeli military says it targeted a Hamas command centre that was disguised within the camp, a claim Hamas has called a blatant lie
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the scale of violence in Gaza is difficult to comprehend and Israel must move towards peace.
"The level of suffering we are witnessing in Gaza is unprecedented in my mandate as Secretary General of the United Nations, I've never seen such a level of death and destruction as we are seeing in Gaza in the last few months. The ceasefire is an absolute must. The question is whether the parties will accept it, and in particular, whether Israel will accept it."
This is the latest attack in Israel's assault on Gaza which has killed approximately 41,000 over the last 11 months according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, a new school year was supposed to have begun in Gaza yesterday however, all schools in the territory are either closed or destroyed.
The Palestinian education ministry says all schools in the region are closed and 90 per cent have been destroyed by Israeli attacks.
UN Secretary General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says many of the remaining schools have had to be converted into shelters for the approximately two million displaced Palestinians.
"More than 600,000 young people are being deprived of access to formal education for another year. The UN Relief and Works Agency says no official schooling is available in any of its 200 schools with many of them being used as shelters for displaced Palestinians."
Meanwhile, in Syria, the Minister of Health Hassan Al-Ghabbash says Israeli strikes in western Syria yesterday have killed 18 people with dozens more injured.
This marks the highest casualty count from such an attack since the Gaza war began.
"This aggression took place consecutively. This was a brutal and barbaric aggression, and up until this moment, the death toll has risen to 18 martyrs with 37 wounded. The injuries vary from slight to medium to some critical and severe wounds."
One of the targets is believed to have been a research centre linked to Iran, reportedly involved in weapons development.
And the Australian government has broken ranks with its close ally the United States to commend the United Kingdom for curbing weapons exports to Israel.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong spoke with Guardian Australia saying she welcomes the decision of her British counterpart, David Lammy, to suspend 30 of the 350 existing arms licenses to Israel.
Mr Lammy told UK parliament last week that the government had no choice but to suspend the arms deals to ensure British weapons weren't being used in breach of humanitarian law in Gaza.
"The assessment I have received leaves me unable to conclude anything other than that for certain UK arms exports to Israel, there does exist a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law. These include equipment that we assess is for use in the current conflict in Gaza."
Ms Wong applauded the move, telling the Guardian “It reflects what we have been advocating throughout this conflict. Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas.”
The United States, which continues to provide billions of dollars of military aid to Israel, reportedly warned the UK against the move and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with his U-K counterpart to discuss the Middle East today.
