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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

UNGA demands ceasefire, Biden says Israel losing support

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Israel came under pressure Wednesday from its allies over its war in Gaza, with key backer the United States criticizing its bombings as "indiscriminate".


The United Nations General Assembly also overwhelmingly backed a non-binding resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the devastated territory.


The war has killed more than 18,400 people, mostly women and children. The Gaza health ministry reported Wednesday that at least another 50 people were killed in the latest wave of Israeli air strikes across the territory.


Biden told a campaign event in Washington that Israel had "most of the world supporting it" after the Hamas attack. "But they're starting to lose that support by the indiscriminate bombing that takes place," he said. Speaking later Tuesday at a news conference, Biden toned down his comments. Reiterating the United States' support for Israel, he said that "the safety of innocent Palestinians is still of great concern".


Washington has been calling for weeks for Israel to take more care to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, saying that too many Palestinians have been killed.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said there was "disagreement" with Biden over how a post-conflict Gaza would be governed, reflecting a rare rift between the allies.


The leaders of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand called for a ceasefire, saying that efforts to destroy Hamas cannot spell "continuous suffering" for Palestinian civilians.


"We are alarmed at the diminishing safe space for civilians in Gaza," Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese, Justin Trudeau, and Christopher Luxon said in a joint statement.


Their statement came after the UN General Assembly passed a resolution Tuesday demanding a ceasefire, with 153 member nations of 193 voting in favor of the call.


The World Health Organization's Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X he was "extremely worried" by reports of the raid, adding that his agency "urgently calls for the protection of all persons inside the hospital".


Earlier the UN humanitarian agency OCHA had said fighting had been reported near the hospital for three consecutive days. It also said two mothers were killed in a strike on the maternity ward, and that about 3,000 displaced people were trapped in the facility. Israel's air and ground campaign has reduced much of Gaza to rubble. The United Nations said its satellite analysis agency UNOSAT had determined, based on a November 26 image, that 18 percent of Gaza's infrastructure had been destroyed.


- Spread of diseases - The UN also estimates that 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.4 million people have been displaced by the conflict, half of them children.


Aid groups have warned the territory will soon be overwhelmed by starvation and disease, and are pleading with Israel to boost efforts to protect civilians.


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