Israel-Hamas war latest: Israeli airstrikes kill 16 in Gaza, including 4 children, Palestinians say

Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes killed 16 people Monday in the Gaza Strip, including five women and four children.

Israel says it only targets militants and accuses Hamas and other armed groups of endangering civilians by operating in residential areas. The military rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack triggered the Israel-Hamas war nearly a year ago. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The war has caused vast destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.

US ambassador to the UN criticizes Israeli attacks on schools and civilians

UNITED NATIONS — The United States ambassador to the United Nations criticized Israel’s military for attacking schools, humanitarian workers and civilians in Gaza in a sign of growing frustration with its close ally Monday as the war in Gaza approaches its first anniversary.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield also reiterated to the U.N. Security Council her and President Joe Biden’s outrage at the death of Turkish-American activist Aysenur Eygi, who was shot and killed Sept. 6 during a protest in the West Bank “simply for attending a protest.”

“This horrific tragedy should never have happened,” the U.S. envoy said. “We will continue to demand details and continue to demand access into Israel’s investigation, and press for accountability, regarding the circumstances that led to Aysenur’s death.”

The Israeli military said it likely killed Eygi by mistake, and the government has launched a criminal investigation. Israel has repeatedly said it targets Hamas militants who use civilians as human shields in retaliation for their Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people.

Thomas-Greenfield was unusually outspoken against the Israeli military in her briefing to the council after the top U.N. humanitarian official in Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, told members the territory has been turned into “an abyss.”

Calling the situation in Gaza “catastrophic,” Thomas-Greenfield said many of the numerous attacks in recent weeks, where U.N. personnel and humanitarian workers were injured or killed, were preventable.

US official warns Netanyahu that a full-scale war in Lebanon would risk sparking broader conflict

WASHINGTON — White House senior adviser Amos Hochstein told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials that intensifying the conflict with Hezbollah on the Israeli-Lebanon border would not help achieve the goal of getting Israelis forced to evacuate back in their homes, according to a U.S. official.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to discuss the private talks, said Hochstein stressed to Netanyahu during Monday’s talks that the Israeli leader risked sparking a broad and protracted regional conflict if he moved forward with a full-scale war in Lebanon.

Hochstein also underscored to Israeli officials that the Biden administration remained committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the tensions on Israel’s northern border in conjunction with a Gaza deal or on its own, the official said.

Netanyahu told Hochstein that it would “not be possible to return our residents without a fundamental change in the security situation in the north.”

The prime minister said Israel “appreciates and respects” US support but “will do what is necessary to maintain its security and return the residents of the north to their homes safely.”