U.S. continues to shield Israel from international condemnation and ceasefire demands

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was in Israel earlier this week to demonstrate continued U.S. support for Israel's brutal war in Gaza. | AP

Israeli forces raided one of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza’s north on Tuesday and bombarded the south with air strikes that killed at least 28 Palestinians.

The intensified attacks by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) come as the United Nations Security Council delayed a vote on a new resolution demanding a ceasefire. The U.S. insisted on pushing the vote back to next week as it pressured countries to rewrite the language of the measure.

The Arab-sponsored resolution calls for a halt to hostilities to allow unhindered access to humanitarian aid. The vote is now expected to take place next Tuesday after diplomats said negotiations were taking place to get the U.S. to either abstain or finally vote “Yes” after it vetoed earlier calls for a ceasefire.

Canada, France, Britain, and Germany, some of Israel’s closest allies, have now all joined global calls for a ceasefire, but the U.S. still refuses to do so. It has, however, hailed an Israeli announcement that another “pause” may be in the offing.

Meanwhile, after meeting senior Israeli officials on a visit to the region on Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he was “not here to dictate timelines or terms.”

His remarks signaled that the U.S. will continue shielding Israel from growing international calls for an end to the killing and that the Pentagon would keep providing vital military aid for one of the 21st century’s deadliest military campaigns.

Israeli forces raided the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City in the early hours of Tuesday, according to the church that operates it, destroying a wall at its front entrance and detaining most of its staff.

Don Binder, a pastor at St. George’s Anglican Cathedral, which runs the hospital, said the raid left just two doctors, four nurses, and two caretakers to tend to over 100 seriously wounded patients, with no running water or electricity.

“It has been a great mercy for the many wounded in Gaza City that we were able to keep our hospital open for so long,” Binder posted on Facebook late on Monday. “That ended today.”

He said that an Israeli tank was parked at the hospital’s entrance, blocking anyone from entering or leaving.

The IDF has raided other hospitals across Gaza, accusing Hamas of using them for military purposes. Hospital staff have denied the allegations and accused Israel of endangering critically ill and wounded civilians.

Morning Star

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CONTRIBUTOR

Roger McKenzie

Roger McKenzie is the International Editor of Morning Star, Britain’s daily socialist newspaper. He is the author of the book "African Uhuru: The Fight for African Freedom in the Rise of the Global South" published by Manifesto Press.