JERUSALEM – After nearly three months of deadly attacks, incessant displacements and sputtering humanitarian aid, “exhausted” Gazans say they are desperate for an end to the fighting as Israel’s war against Hamas is expected to last into the new year.

The Israeli army continued its campaign across the Gaza Strip on Friday despite increasing international opposition. UN chief Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” and South Africa launched an international court case against Israel.

The World Health Organization, meanwhile, warned of the growing threat of infectious diseases as fighting displaces more Gazans and forces them further south to the already crowded city of Rafah.

“Enough with this war! We are completely exhausted. We are constantly displaced from one place to another in cold weather,” said 49-year-old Um Louay Abu Khater from a camp in the southern border town.

“The bombs are falling on us day and night. We expect rockets (any moment) while others are preparing for New Year’s Eve celebrations.”

According to the United Nations, more than 85 percent of the 2.4 million people in the Gaza Strip have fled their homes. Many are starving and braving the winter rains in makeshift tents.

An Israeli siege imposed after October 7 after years of a crippling blockade has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicine, and aid convoys have provided help only sporadically.

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday that one such convoy had been fired upon by Israeli forces the day before without causing any casualties.

Ahmed al-Baz, 33, said the year that was ending was “the worst in my life.”

“It was a year of destruction and devastation,” he said. “We went through hell and encountered death itself.”

“We just want the war to end and the New Year to begin in our homes, with a ceasefire,” he added.

NEGOTIATIONS

The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s bloody attacks on Israel on October 7, which killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

The Palestinian Islamist militants also took about 250 people hostage, more than half of whom are still in the war zone and some of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s relentless military campaign has since killed at least 21,507 people, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

According to the Israeli army, 168 soldiers were killed in the territory.

A Hamas delegation was in Cairo on Friday to discuss an Egyptian plan that calls for renewable ceasefires, a staggered release of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and an eventual end to the war, sources close to Hamas say.

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, a Hamas official said the delegation would make “remarks” on the proposal and demand “guarantees for a full Israeli military withdrawal” from Gaza.

Israel has not yet officially commented on the Cairo plan, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the hostages’ families on Thursday that “we are in contact” with Egyptian mediators and promised the prisoners that “we are working to bring them all back.” “.

The US news agency Axios and the Israeli news agency Ynet, citing unnamed Israeli officials, reported that Qatari mediators had told Israel that Hamas was ready to resume talks on the release of new hostages in exchange for a ceasefire.

In Rafah, 27-year-old Youssef Ahras told AFP he hoped the negotiations could “stop the bloodshed… because the price of war is so high.”

“I don’t know much about the political aspects because as locals we are busy with our basic needs,” he said.

“Genocide” claim

South Africa submitted a request to the International Court of Justice on Friday to open proceedings against Israel for “genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

In its statement of claim, it called on the court to “protect against further, serious and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people.”

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat responded on the social media platform

South Africa has long been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party often linking it to its own fight against apartheid.

Pretoria has strongly condemned Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks and recalled all of its diplomats from the country, while Israel in turn recalled its ambassador to South Africa.

Meanwhile, Israel’s key ally, the United States, announced on Friday the approval of a sale to Israel of US Army-stocked 155mm high-explosive artillery ammunition and related equipment valued at $147.5 million.

The secretary of state determined that “an emergency exists requiring the immediate sale” of the weapons, waiving the normal requirement for congressional review, the U.S. Defense and Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement.