Gaza, Immigration, Sinead OâConnor: Your Tuesday Evening Briefing Hereâs what you need to know at the end of the day. May 18, 2021 Image 1. Gaza is facing a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe. The nine-day battle between Hamas militants and the Israeli military has damaged 17 hospitals and clinics. Destroyed sewage systems sent fetid wastewater through the streets. A desalination plant providing water to 250,000 people is offline. The only laboratory in Gaza that processes coronavirus tests was damaged by an Israeli airstrike. The Times created a day-by-day reconstruction of the violence with maps, death tolls and satellite images. There are subtle signs that Israel and Hamas may be edging toward a cease-fire, with Egypt and the U.N. working to ârestore calm,â according to a person involved in the talks. All E.U. member states except Hungary have called for an immediate cease-fire.