War rages in Gaza on first day of Ramadan
The war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas showed no sign of abating on Monday as Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, got underway, amid an international mobilisation to send humanitarian aid to a population on the brink of famine.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the "silencing of weapons" in Gaza and the release of hostages held captive since the war began on 7 October "to honour the spirit of Ramadan".
Israel resumed shelling several points in the Palestinian territory, according to officials of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, particularly Gaza City in the north, Khan Younis and Rafah in the south.
"The beginning of Ramadan is shrouded in darkness, with the taste of blood and stench everywhere," Awni al-Kayyal, a 50-year-old displaced man in Rafah, told AFP.
"I woke up in my tent and cried for our fate. Suddenly, I heard explosions and shelling. I saw ambulances carrying away the dead and wounded," he said, adding that his family "will have no food on the table" after breaking their fast on Monday night.
Ship carrying 200 tonnes of food
In an attempt to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, a first ship chartered by the Spanish NGO Open Arms and loaded with 200 tonnes of food supplies is ready to sail from Cyprus to Gaza as part of a maritime corridor announced by the European Union.
The ship is awaiting authorisation from the Cypriot authorities to sail from the Mediterranean port of Larnaca, 370 kilometres from Gaza.
Some residents flocked to a beach south of Gaza City on Sunday in the hope of seeing the ship arrive. "They said a boat loaded with aid would arrive and that people would be able to eat," said one of them, Mohamed Abu Baid. "Only God knows. We won't believe it until we see it," he added.
At the same time, a US military ship left the United States with the equipment needed to build a jetty to unload the aid, which could take up to 60 days.
But the UN, which fears widespread famine in the Palestinian territory, which has been under total siege by Israel since 9 October, says air and sea aid cannot replace land aid.
International aid, controlled by Israel, only trickles into Gaza while the needs are immense, especially in the hard-to-reach north of the territory.
The war erupted five months ago with the unprecedented attack by Hamas commandos on Israeli soil, killing some 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on Israeli data.
In addition, some 250 people were kidnapped and 130 are still being held captive in Gaza, of whom 31 have reportedly died, according to Israeli officials.
In response, Israel vowed to "annihilate" Hamas and launched a military campaign against the Palestinian enclave.
The conflict has so far left 31,112 people dead in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas health ministry.
Shelling left 67 people dead in the past 24 hours, the ministry announced on Monday, including four people from the same family who perished in an attack on their home during morning prayers in Rafah.
"Immense grief"
Despite a new round of discussions in Egypt in early March, the US, Qatar and Egypt -- the mediating countries -- failed to agree on a truce.
Hamas demands a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops before any agreement on the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Israel is demanding that the Islamist movement provide a list of hostages who are still alive, but Hamas said it does not know who among them are "dead or alive".
The climate generated by the war in Gaza raises fears of outbreaks of violence in East Jerusalem, home to the Esplanade of the Mosques, Islam's third holiest site, where tens of thousands of Muslims gather every evening during Ramadan.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday that Israel would respect freedom of worship at the Al Aqsa mosque and other holy sites, but also warned that Israel was "ready" to respond to any excesses.
"The month of Ramadan can also be a month of jihad, and we say to everyone: don't look for us. We are ready, make no mistake," Gallant warned.
In Washington, President Joe Biden, who has raised his tone in recent days with Israel, said Ramadan "comes at a time of immense pain".
"As Muslims gather around the world in the coming days and weeks to break their fast, many will be mindful of the suffering of the Palestinian people. I too am mindful of it," he said.
