Gaza Under Attack: Israeli Strikes Kill 19, Wound Dozens
Gaza City: The Israeli army said it targeted Hamas militants in a strike on a UN building in Jabaliya refugee camp on Wednesday, killing 19 people, nine of them children.
The army’s statement: The Israeli army said it struck the militants "inside a command and control centre that was being used for coordinating terrorist activity". It separately confirmed to AFP that the building housed a UN clinic.
UNRWA’s Statement: The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said in a statement that the strike hit "two rooms on the first floor of an UNRWA destroyed health centre" which had been used as a shelter for 160 displaced families. "Many displaced families have not left the site, simply because they have absolutely nowhere else to go," the statement said.
Civil Defence Agency’s Statement: Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said there were also dozens of people wounded in the strike which "targeted an UNRWA building housing a medical clinic".
Israel’s Accusations: The military accused Hamas of "exploiting the civilian population as a human shield" and said that the compound was used by Hamas’s Jabaliya Battalion to plan terror attacks.
International Reaction: The Ramallah-based Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the "massacre at the UNRWA clinic in Jabaliya", calling for "serious international pressure" to halt Israel’s widening offensive. The Islamic Jihad militant group, a Hamas ally, called the bombing a "blatant war crime".
Context: Israel has on several occasions conducted strikes on UNRWA buildings housing displaced people in Gaza, where fighting has raged for most of the past 18 months. A strike on the UN-run Al-Jawni school in central Gaza on Sept 11 drew international outcry after UNRWA said six of its staff were among the 18 people reported killed.
Background: The Israeli military accuses Hamas of hiding in civilian buildings where thousands of Gazans have sought shelter – a charge the Palestinian militant group denies. Israel resumed major air strikes on the Palestinian territory on March 18, after talks on next steps in a six-week truce broke down.
Recent Developments: It conducted air strikes on southern and central Gaza on Wednesday that the civil defence agency said killed at least 15 people, including children, in the city of Khan Yunis and Nuseirat refugee camp. Since March 18, at least 1,042 people have been killed in Gaza, according to figures last updated by the Hamas-run health ministry on Tuesday.
Total Death Toll: In total, 50,399 people have been killed since the start of the war triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack, according to the ministry’s figures, which the United Nations views as reliable.
Conclusion: The ongoing violence in Gaza has resulted in devastating consequences for the Palestinian people, with the latest strike on a UN building housing a medical clinic and shelter for displaced families serving as a stark reminder of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war?
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, at least 50,399 people have been killed since October 2023. - How many people have been killed in Gaza since March 18?
According to the latest figures, at least 1,042 people have been killed in Gaza since March 18. - Who is responsible for the violence in Gaza?
The Israeli military accuses Hamas of planning and executing terror attacks, while Hamas denies these allegations and accuses Israel of committing war crimes.