EU refrains from demanding immediate ceasefire in Gaza amidst escalating crisis as UN vote looms

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of over 6,850 individuals, including numerous children, as reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah on Thursday. The data is sourced from within the Hamas-controlled enclave. The international community is facing mounting pressure to urge Israel to permit essential aid to be delivered to Gaza. The United Nations and several regional nations have demanded an immediate ceasefire, while others are advocating for a temporary cessation of hostilities for humanitarian reasons.

The Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, declared on Thursday that ceasefire requests were not aimed at achieving peace but rather intended to restrict Israel from neutralizing a significant danger to its citizens. He emphasized that Israel's conflict was not with human beings but with monstrous entities, asserting that their objective was to entirely eradicate Hamas's capabilities, employing all available methods to accomplish this.

Israel's military carried out a "targeted raid" in northern Gaza late Thursday night and expressed its commitment to conducting ground raids in the following days.

According to Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), these incursions aim to eliminate Hamas militants, pave the way for a full-scale invasion, and eliminate explosive devices and reconnaissance posts.

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Rescuers assist a survivor of an Israeli bombardment in Nusseirat refugee camp, Gaza on October 24.

Palestinians mourn their loved ones killed in an Israeli strike, outside Najjar hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on October 24.

A baby receives care inside an incubator at a hospital in Rafah, Gaza on October 23.

A view of buildings reduced to rubble and ruins by Israeli airstrikes are seen in Gaza on October 23.

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An Israeli soldier stands in an armoured vehicle near the Lebanon border on October 23.

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An aerial view of residential buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in Zahra City, Gaza, on October 21.

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter Gaza from Egypt at the Rafah border crossing on October 21.

Palestinians inspect a destroyed area following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on October 21.

Children use candles for lighting in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Friday, October 20.

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Women grieve at an event for the families of Israelis who are missing or being held hostage in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 20.

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A Palestinian woman mourns over the bodies of her relatives who were killed an Israeli airstrike that hit a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City on October 20.

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Photographs of people taken hostage by Hamas are seen in Tel Aviv on October 18.

Israeli security inspects debris from a rocket in Kiryat Shmona, Israel, on October 18.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US President Joe Biden, along with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, were seen waiting for the Israeli war cabinet meeting to commence in Tel Aviv on October 18.

President Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on October 18.

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Bodies of Palestinians killed in the blast at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital lie in front of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 17.

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Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on October 16.

Palestinians carry a person wounded in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Monday, October 16.

Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian youth during his funeral in Nablus, West Bank, on October 15.

Israeli army soldiers patrol at an undisclosed position in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on October 15.

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Antonio Macías' mother weeps beside her son's lifeless body at Pardes Haim cemetery in Kfar Saba, Israel, on October 15. Macías lost his life in a tragic incident perpetrated by Hamas during an Israeli music festival earlier this month.

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Israeli artillery fires on the Israel-Gaza border on October 13.

Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City during an Israeli air strike on October 13.

Palestinians flee from northern Gaza to the south after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to seek refuge in the south, on October 13.

Mourners attend the funeral of Israeli soldier Abraham Cohen at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on Thursday, October 12.

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Valentin Ghnassia's family members respond during his funeral service held at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on October 12th. Ghnassia lost his life in a confrontational encounter with Hamas militants in Be'eri, Israel.

An Israeli military helicopter flies near the border between Gaza and Sderot, Israel, on October 12.

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People carry bodies of Palestinians killed during an Israeli airstrike prior to their burial in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.

Mourners react beside the body of Mapal Adam during her funeral in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 11.

Palestinians run from Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.

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Bullet holes are visible in a damaged window at the entrance of a kindergarten in Be'eri, Israel, as depicted on October 11. This self-sufficient agricultural community, located near Gaza, was amongst the initial locations directly targeted by Hamas militants on October 7.

Itzik and Miriam Shafir, pictured in the center, grieve at their son's burial in Modiin Maccabim, Israel, on October 11. Dor Shafir, their son, along with his girlfriend Savion Kiper, tragically lost their lives during Hamas' assault on a music festival last Saturday.

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Palestinians rescue a young girl from the rubble of a destroyed residential building following an Israeli airstrike on October 10.

Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10.

People gather around the bodies of two Palestinian reporters, Mohammed Soboh and Said al-Tawil, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 10.

Israelis mourn as they attend the funeral of Israel Defense Forces soldier Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg at Mount Herzel Cemetery in Jerusalem, on October 10.

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A family takes shelter at a neighbor's house after their home was damaged in an Israeli airstrike in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

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Lightning strikes over Gaza City following an Israeli bombardment on October 9.

A Palestinian man mourns over the body of his nephew killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9.

Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on October 9.

Israeli soldiers work on a tank at the border between Israel and Gaza on October 9.

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A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9.

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Palestinians inspect damage from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp on October 9.

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An Israeli soldier prays standing in front of a tank on the outskirts of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona on October 8.

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza on October 8.

Palestinians search the rubble of a home in Khan Younis that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on October 8.

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Rockets launched from Gaza are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system on October 8.

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A woman runs to her family's reinforced concrete shelter moments after rocket sirens sounded in Ashkelon on October 7.

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An Israeli woman reacts over the body of her relative who was killed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on October 7.

Vehicles in Ashkelon burn as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.

Israelis donate blood in Jerusalem on October 7.

Palestinians inspect a destroyed building as emergency responders try to contain fires after Israeli jets bombed Gaza on October 7.

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Relatives of Palestinians killed on Saturday, October 7, mourn at the morgue of a hospital in Gaza.

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In pictures: The deadly clashes in Israel and Gaza

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Israel, along with the US, doubts the accuracy of the casualty figures coming from Gaza. However, no evidence has been presented to suggest that the numbers are exaggerated.

When questioned about it, White House spokesperson John Kirby referred to the Gaza-based ministry as a cover for Hamas. However, he did not deny that numerous Palestinians, including a significant number of innocent civilians, have lost their lives.

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The Palestinian Authority, headquartered in Ramallah, is controlled by a competing faction to Hamas. It oversees the Ministry of Health, which maintains a connection with the ministry in Gaza. The death toll figures for Gaza are released on a daily basis by both Gaza and Ramallah. However, CNN is unable to confirm the accuracy of the death toll provided from Gaza.

The IDF said that the problem is not a lack of fuel in Gaza, but that it is in the hands of Hamas.

"Some of it was stockpiled before, some of it stolen from the UN, some of its stolen by Hamas from private vendors," he said.

CNN cannot independently verify the amount of fuel in Gaza.

Due to a shortage of fuel, UNWRA is confronted with the challenging task of allocating power between bakeries and hospital wards. With over 600,000 individuals displaced and surviving on just one piece of bread per day, this decision is crucial. On Thursday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported the entry of twelve aid trucks into Gaza from the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. These trucks carried essential supplies such as water, food, medicine, and medical resources, however, fuel was not included.

CNNs Ruba Alhenawi, Hamdi Alkhshali, Kareem Khadder, Abeer Salman, Akanksha Sharma, Amy Cassidy, Tamar Michaelis, Jorge Engels, Lauren Kent, Richard Roth and David Shortell contributed reporting.