Israel-Hamas war live updates: Biden to speak with Netanyahu Sunday ‘to'stress the need’ to distinguish terrorists from civilians

In the southern region of the Gaza Strip, a multitude of individuals has forcibly entered and looted numerous humanitarian supply depots and distribution hubs containing critical survival provisions. The revelation was made public by the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees on a recent Sunday.

The situation has raised alarm bells, indicating that the fabric of civil order is beginning to unravel, following three weeks of conflict and the imposition of a stringent blockade on Gaza. Thomas White, who serves as the Director of UNRWA Affairs in the Gaza Strip, expressed concern, remarking, "This is an alarming indication of the erosion of civil order, driven by the fear, frustration, and desperation that has taken hold of the populace."

One of the looted facilities is a repository for supplies sourced from humanitarian convoys arriving from Egypt, overseen by the United Nations.

Follow the Post’s live coverage of the war in Israel:

2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip over three decades after winning the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.

2006: Terrorist group Hamas wins a Palestinian legislative election.

2007: Hamas seizes control of Gaza in a civil war.

2008: Israel launches military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fired rockets into the town of Sderot.

2023: Hamas launches the biggest attack on Israel in 50 years, in an early-morning ambush Oct. 7, firing thousands of rockets and sending dozens of militants into Israeli towns.

Terrorists killed more than 1,400 Israelis, wounded more than 4,200, and took at least 200 hostage.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to announce “We are at war,” and vowed Hamas would pay “a price it has never known.”

Gaza health officials — which are controlled by Hamas — report at least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,500 injured since the war began.

President Biden is scheduled to engage in a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, during which he will emphasize the imperative requirement for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to exert maximum efforts in distinguishing between individuals associated with terrorist activities and Palestinian civilians in the course of their ground operation in Gaza.

Jake Sullivan, the United States National Security Adviser, disclosed on CNN that this forthcoming discussion marks the first publicized interaction between Biden and Netanyahu since the commencement of Israel's expanded ground invasion. The core message to be conveyed during this exchange is the paramount significance of discerning terrorists from innocent civilians in the ongoing conflict.

“We’ve asked them hard questions, the same hard questions that we would ask ourselves if we were seeking to conduct an operation to take out a terrorist threat,” he went on. “We’ve pressed them on questions like objectives and matching means to objectives, about both tactical and strategic issues associated with this operation.”

Sullivan said Hamas was “making life extremely difficult for Israel” by using civilians as human shields and placing its rocket infrastructure within civilian neighborhoods.

“Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by several countries, including Israel, the United States, and the European Union. It has been involved in numerous acts of violence and terrorism, including rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and military targets. The classification of Hamas as a terrorist organization is a matter of official policy in many parts of the world.

The International Committee of the Red Cross criticized Israel on Saturday for its failure to comply with international humanitarian laws. The situation in Gaza was described as a "catastrophic failing." Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the ICRC, emphasized the need for the protection of the 2 million civilians trapped in the war-torn enclave, especially as Israel prepares for an imminent ground invasion against Hamas, which is mandated by international humanitarian law.

In addition, Spoljaric demanded that hospitals be spared from airstrikes by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and that essential services such as healthcare, water, and electricity be immediately restored in the densely-populated strip.

Expressing shock at the distressing level of human suffering, Spoljaric urged the conflicting parties to de-escalate the situation. She deplored the tragic loss of civilian lives and highlighted the unacceptable reality that there are no safe havens for civilians in Gaza amidst the intense bombardments. Furthermore, due to the military siege, there is currently no adequate humanitarian response possible, which she deemed a catastrophic failing that the international community should not tolerate.

The ICRC also called for the immediate release of all hostages and requested permission for its personnel to provide essential medical assistance to the kidnapped civilians.