Today's Edition
CAIRO, RAFAH (Reuters)
The US said on Wednesday that talks on a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza could still reach an agreement as the enclave’s humanitarian crisis prompted South Africa to ask the World Court for new emergency measures.
Negotiators are trying to secure a 40-day ceasefire in time for the month of Ramadan, which begins early next week.
Despite speculation that negotiations were at an impasse, the US said on Wednesday that a truce accord was still possible.
“We continue to believe that obstacles are not insurmountable and a deal can be reached ... so we’re going to continue to push for one,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in Washington.
But South Africa, which in January brought a case at the World Court in The Hague, on Wednesday asked the court to order new emergency measures including a stop to hostilities because Palestinian civilians were facing starvation.
“The threat of all-out famine has now materialised. The court needs to act now to stop the imminent tragedy,” the South African presidency said in a statement.
The Gaza health ministry said two Palestinians, aged 15 and 72, died of dehydration and malnutrition in Al Shifa and Kamal Adwan hospitals on Wednesday, raising the toll of such deaths in just over a week to 20. Reuters could not verify the deaths.
Fears were also mounting that the Gaza conflict could spread in the Middle East, especially after a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by Houthi forces.
Israeli forces have continued bombarding the Palestinian enclave since the talks began in Cairo on Sunday, and the dire humanitarian situation in the densely populated coastal strip has deteriorated further.
“Every day costs us dozens of martyrs. We want a ceasefire now,” Shaban Abdel-Raouf, a Palestinian electrician and father of five from Gaza City, who is now in southern Khan Younis, told Reuters via a chat app.
The US and Britain on Wednesday reiterated calls for increased aid to Gaza. Washington has pressed Israel to open another border cross in north Gaza to get more aid there.
About 250 aid trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday, the US and Israel said. Miller added: “We need to see dramatically more go in.”
