Palestine rejects Israel's plan to build "buffer zone" in northern Gaza

Palestinian authorities on Wednesday rejected any Israeli plans to establish buffer zones with long-term Israeli military presence in the northern Gaza Strip, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, official spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, said in a statement carried by WAFA that the talk about the so-called establishment of a buffer zone in northern Gaza Strip and Jabalia with long-term Israeli military presence was completely unacceptable and is therefore rejected.

Abu Rudeineh considered the plan to be in violation of all international legitimacy resolutions and international law that consider the Gaza Strip an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory.

On Oct 5, the Israeli army began intense bombardment of areas in the northern Gaza Strip, before launching a large-scale military operation there, especially Jabalia. The Israeli army says its operation in Jabalia and its surroundings aims to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping to launch more attacks, and create conditions for its plan of building the buffer zone to "distribute aid through a private American company and with foreign funding".

However, the Palestinian spokesman said that any plans related to the future of the Gaza Strip or the distribution of aid can only be done through the State of Palestine and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as well as other relevant international organizations.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since October last year has risen to 43,985, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Wednesday.

Palestine rejects Israel's plan to build "buffer zone" in northern Gaza

Palestine rejects Israel's plan to build "buffer zone" in northern Gaza

Palestine rejects Israel's plan to build "buffer zone" in northern Gaza

Palestine rejects Israel's plan to build "buffer zone" in northern Gaza

Palestine rejects Israel's plan to build "buffer zone" in northern Gaza

At least 20 people were killed and 57 others injured in Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon over the past 24 hours, according to official figures released on Friday.

The latest casualties bring the cumulative death toll to 1,021, with a total of 2,641 people wounded since the escalation of hostilities on March 2.

Meanwhile, displacement continues to rise sharply as ongoing strikes force more residents to flee their homes. A total of 134,616 displaced people are currently sheltering in 644 centers across the country, the figures show.

Efforts to accommodate displaced populations remain under strain as the humanitarian situation deteriorates amid continued airstrikes.

Hezbollah entered the confrontation on March 2 by launching rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel for the first time since a ceasefire on Nov. 27, 2024, prompting Israel to carry out an intensified military campaign targeting multiple areas across the country.

Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon kill 20, bring total fatalities to 1,021