Washington’s top diplomat landed in Israel on Wednesday on an urgent mission from his boss: to push for an “immediate cessation of hostilities.”
Secretary of State John Kerry’s arrival came as the United Nations accused both Israel and Hamas of possible war crimes and as the death toll continued to mount.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 664 Palestinians have been killed. Though it’s unclear how many were civilians, the United Nations estimates that more than 70% were. The Israeli military said 230 militants have been killed.
Three more Israeli soldiers were killed Wednesday, bringing the total to 32 plus three civilians. Among the soldiers, three died from friendly fire.
A Hamas mortar shell killed a foreign worker in Ashkelon on Wednesday, marking the third civilian death on the Israeli side.
Hamas has said it is holding an Israeli soldier it captured in an ambush on an armored personnel carrier Sunday. Six other IDF soldiers died in the ambush.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military released the soldier’s name — Sgt. Oren Shaul — but said it was “working to identify his body.”
Israeli media reported that Shaul was missing and presumed dead.
Israeli and U.S. officials have repeatedly blamed Hamas for civilian deaths, saying militants purposely use homes, mosques, schools and hospitals for terror operations and encourage people to remain in them despite Israeli warnings.
The al-Wafa hospital, near hard-hit Shaja’ia, “is a Hamas military compound,” the Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday. At Israel’s request, it was evacuated of patients and staff Tuesday, though Hamas gunmen remained, firing at Israeli forces, the IDF said. Israel confirmed the evacuation with a World Health Organization official, then struck the “terror targets” at the site, the IDF said.
But despite such statements, Palestinians have accused Israel of indiscriminate attacks and even purposely killing civilians. Official Palestinian media accuse Israel of carrying out a “massacre.”
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said a child was killed in Gaza every hour on Monday and Tuesday.
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