Twenty-two people were killed and 45 others injured on Friday June 21, during gunfire that damaged the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza. According to the organization, these shootings which occurred in the evening “caused a massive influx of victims to the nearby Red Cross field hospital“. “Firing so dangerously close to humanitarian structures, the location of which is known to parties to the conflict and which are clearly marked with the Red Cross emblem, endangers the lives of civilians and Red Cross personnel,” continued the ICRC. Follow our live stream.
Lebanon cannot become “another Gaza”, says Antonio Guterres. The UN Secretary-General denounced Friday the “belligerent rhetoric” of Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah which raises fears of a catastrophe “unimaginable.” “The risk of the conflict spreading to the Middle East is real and must be avoided. A rash move, a miscalculation, could cause a catastrophe well beyond the border, and frankly unimaginable”he warned.
Qatar says it is continuing its mediation efforts. “There have been several meetings with the Hamas leadership to try to bridge the gap between the two sides and reach an agreement that results in a ceasefire and the release of the hostages”declared the Prime Minister of Qatar, during a joint press conference in Madrid with the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The Israeli army is intensifying its strikes. Israeli aerial and artillery bombardments hit several areas of Palestinian territory, according to witnesses cited by AFP. The strikes also targeted the town of Rafah, where the IDF reported fighting with Hamas.
