‘Exhausted’ Gazans desperate for war to end as Israel presses offensive

After nearly three months of deadly strikes, incessant displacements and sputtering humanitarian aid, "exhausted" Gazans say they are desperate for an end to the fighting as Israel's war against Hamas looks set to grind on into the new year.

The Israeli army kept up its campaign across the length of the Gaza Strip on Friday in the face of mounting international pushback, with UN chief Antonio Guterres reiterating his call for "an immediate humanitarian ceasefire", and South Africa initiating a case against Israel in international court.

The World Health Organization, meanwhile, warned of the growing threat of infectious diseases as fighting displaces more and more Gazans, forcing them ever further south towards the already-overcrowded city of Rafah.

"Enough with this war! We are totally 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 city.

"The bombs keep falling on us every day and night. We expect missiles (at any moment), while others are preparing for New Year's Eve celebrations."

The UN says more than 85 per cent of Gaza's 2.4 million people have fled their homes, with many now going hungry and braving the winter rains in makeshift tents.

A member of the Palestine Red Crescent Society treats a child wounded in an Israeli strike on Saturday. Reuters

An Israeli siege imposed after October 7, following years of crippling blockade, has led to dire shortages of food, safe water, fuel and medicine, with aid convoys offering only sporadic relief.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday that one such convoy had come under fire from Israeli forces the day before, without causing any casualties.

Ahmed Al Baz, 33, said the year drawing to a close had been "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 start the new year at our homes, with a ceasefire declared," he added.

‘Genocide’ claim

South Africa on Friday filed an application at the International Court of Justice to start proceedings against Israel for what it said were "genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza".

In its filing, it asked the court to "protect against further, severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people".

This drone image shows thousands of tents used by displaced people in Rafah, Gaza Strip on Friday. AP

Responding on the social media platform X, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Lior Haiat wrote that "Israel rejects with disgust the blood libel spread by South Africa and its application".

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 struggle against apartheid.

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

Key Israeli ally the United States, meanwhile, announced on Friday the approval of a $147.5 million sale of 155mm high-explosive artillery munitions and related equipment to Israel from US Army stocks.

The secretary of state determined that "an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale" of the weaponry, thereby waiving the normal requirement for review by Congress, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement.

Agence France-Presse