Gaza [Palestine], November 18: At least five Palestinians have been killed and two injured in an overnight strike on a building in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian ambulance service Red Crescent.
The building was in the Balata refugee camp, according to reports from the Reuters and AFP news agencies.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the situation in the camp but said it was checking on the reports.
The camp's administration said a strike targeted the local headquarters of the Palestinian group Fatah in the camp. AFP said witnesses reported that the strike appeared to have come from a drone, but it could not confirm the claims.
At least 186 Palestinians, including 51 children, have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since the October 7 Hamas attacks, according to UN data.
Israel warns Palestinians to flee Khan Younis
Israel has issued a fresh warning to Palestinians in the southern city of Khan Younis to flee out of the line of fire. Israeli military forces dropped leaflets on the city suggesting inhabitants move west closer to where humanitarian aid could be distributed.
The several thousand displaced Palestinians, who earlier fled to Khan Younis from northern Gaza, will have to move once again along with the 400,000 inhabitants of the city.
"We're asking people to relocate. I know it's not easy for many of them, but we don't want to see civilians caught up in the crossfire," Mark Regev, an aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told US broadcaster MSNBC on Friday.
The Associated Press news agency reported that Israel, on Wednesday, dropped leaflets over areas of Khan Younis calling on residents to seek shelter elsewhere.
The development is the most recent indication that Israel plans to expand its offensive in Gaza which has so far been limited to the northern region.
In the first week of the war, Israel had dropped leaflets on the northern cities, warning Palestinians to flee to the south.
Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry authorities raised their death toll on Friday to over 12,000 people, of which 5,000 were children.
UN humanitarian chief pleads for Gaza cease-fire
Martin Griffiths, the United Nations top humanitarian affairs official, on Friday renewed calls for a "humanitarian cease-fire" to allow aid to reach the 2.2 million people trapped in the bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas.
"Call it what you will, but the requirement, from a humanitarian point of view, is simple. Stop the fighting to allow civilians to move safely," the UN humanitarian chief said in an address to the UN General Assembly.
"We are not asking for the moon," he said. "We are asking for the basic measures required to meet the essential needs of the civilian population and stem the course of this crisis," Griffiths added.
He also called for the unconditional release of all hostages held by militant group Hamas in Gaza.
His plea for a cease-fire was part of a 10-point plan which he described as "standard practice for humanitarians."
Source: Times of Oman
