Israeli forces continue to hammer Lebanon, killing at least 31 people in 24 hours, despite signs a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah could be close.

    In the Gaza Strip, winter storms washed away or damaged some 10,000 tents housing displaced Palestinians, as the World Health Organization (WHO) condemned Israel’s ongoing attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital in the enclave’s north.

    The White House says the US’s Middle East envoy will hold talks in Saudi Arabia to discuss using a potential ceasefire deal in Lebanon as a catalyst for ending the conflict in Gaza.

    Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed at least 44,235 Palestinians and wounded 104,638 since October 7, 2023. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken captive.

    In Lebanon, at least 3,768 people have been killed and 15,699 wounded in Israeli attacks since the war on Gaza began.

    UNSC members continue calls for ceasefire after US veto

    The UN Security Council (UNSC) has met to discuss the situation in Gaza, less than a week after the United States vetoed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire that was supported by all 14 other members of the council.

    Here’s what some of the council members said:

•     China’s ambassador said hundreds more civilians have lost their lives in Gaza since the US vetoed the resolution, highlighting attacks on Beit Lahiya and Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.
•     South Korea’s ambassador said the resolution last week demonstrated the “collective voice of the international community calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and release of hostages”.
•     Russia said: “Washington’s policy of blocking the UNSC work on the Middle East remains a stain on the reputation of the outgoing US administration.”
•     Switzerland reiterated its call for an “unconditional and immediate ceasefire” and the “release of all hostages in Gaza”.
•     Slovenia’s ambassador said that “international law is not a menu to choose from and it should know no double standards” and called for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire”.

    UN says 450,000 people living in flood-prone areas in Gaza

    Stephane Dujarric, the UN’s spokesman, told reporters that efforts to prepare for the rainy season in the Gaza Strip have been “severely restricted by the challenges aid agencies are facing in bringing sufficient supplies” into the enclave.

    Here’s more of what he said:

•     Heavy rainfall caused flooding in multiple sites where displaced families are staying in Khan Younis and Gaza City on Sunday, damaging people’s tents and other belongings.
•     About 1.6 million people are living in makeshift shelters across Gaza, more than three-quarters of the total population.
•     Of those, more than 450,000 men, women and children are living in about 100 flood-prone areas in Khan Younis, Deir el-Balah and the Rafah area.
•     Sandbags have been installed at about 20 of these sites, but for 90 percent of the areas assessed by aid groups, there are no workable contingency plans if flooding were to render the sites uninhabitable.