- Conflict resumes; civilian, hostages
- Harris urges Israeli protection
- UK conducts Gaza surveillance
The surveillance aircraft, according to the Ministry of Defence, “will be unarmed, have no combat function, and be tasked solely with locating hostages.” Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, urges Israel to increase its efforts to safeguard civilians.
In pursuit of rescuing hostages, surveillance flights over Israel and Gaza will be conducted by the United Kingdom.
The surveillance aircraft, according to the Ministry of Defence, “will be unarmed, have no combat function, and be tasked solely with locating hostages.”
The ministry stated, “Only information pertaining to hostage rescue will be forwarded to the appropriate authorities responsible for hostage rescue.”
The flights will traverse the airspace over Israel and Gaza, and the eastern Mediterranean.
Collaborative Efforts Since October 7
Since the Hamas attacks on October 7, the U.K. government has been “collaborating with partners across the region to secure the release of hostages, including British nationals who have been abducted,” according to the Ministry of Defence.
It stated that the safety of British citizens is our highest priority.
The week following the October 7 attacks, British military forces were dispatched to the eastern Mediterranean, including Royal Navy and RAF aircraft.
Escalating Threats in the Gulf
The United Kingdom announced last week that it would deploy one of its most lethal warships to the Gulf to deter Iran and Iranian-backed groups from posing escalating threats to shipping.
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The MoD’s declaration coincided with an appeal by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris for Israel to increase its efforts in safeguarding civilians.
She stressed that “too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.” Despite this, she reiterated the United States’ position that Israel has a legitimate military objective against Hamas.
The magnitude of civilian suffering, as well as the images and videos emanating from Gaza, is, in all honesty, heartbreaking.
Ms Harris addressed COP28 in Dubai and outlined the US’s post-war goals.
According to a White House statement, she conveyed to the Egyptian president that “the United States will not sanction the coerced displacement of Palestinians from the West Bank or Gaza, the siege of Gaza, or the redrawing of Gaza’s borders under any circumstances.”
The U.S. issued appeals to safeguard civilians after hostilities resumed on Friday, marking the conclusion of a seven-day ceasefire.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the nation’s armed forces had prepared for “absolute victory” throughout the truce.
At a Saturday news conference, he ordered the IDF to resume the conflict with “increasing intensity”.
According to him, 400 Hamas targets have been “eliminated” since the end of the ceasefire. He said Hamas could only be destroyed by ground operations, so Israel must continue them.
Strike activity in southern Gaza, where most of the strip’s two million residents live, has increased.
The health ministry of Gaza, which Hamas heads, reported that a minimum of 193 Palestinians had lost their lives since Friday, bringing the total number of Palestinian casualties since the outbreak of hostilities to over 15,000.
Meanwhile, militant Palestinian organizations in Gaza reported that projectiles were launched towards southern Israel.
