Violence Escalates in Gaza as Israeli Strikes Continue
At Least 38 Killed in Khan Younis and Hospital Raid in Northern Gaza
CAIRO – Israeli military strikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis killed at least 38 people since Thursday night, with Israeli forces also launching a night-time raid on a hospital in the north, Palestinian officials said.
Error and Chaos in Khan Younis
The Gaza health ministry reported that many of the casualties from the Israeli strikes on houses in southeast Khan Younis were women and children. Some residents returned to the scene on Friday morning, sifting through rubble in an attempt to retrieve some of their clothes and documents, while children looked for their toys.
Hospital Raid in Northern Gaza
In the north of the enclave, where the area around the town of Jabalia has been the target of a weeks-long offensive, health officials said Israeli forces stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of three medical facilities struggling to operate there, and stationed forces outside it.
“Since last night, at midnight, the occupation army tanks and bulldozers reached the hospital. The terrorising of civilians, the injured and children began as they (the Israeli army) started opening fire on the hospital,” Eid Sabbah, the hospital’s director of nursing, said in a voice note to Reuters.
He said when the army retreated, a delegation from the World Health Organization arrived with an ambulance and evacuated 40 patients. Israeli tanks returned and opened fire on the hospital, striking its oxygen stores, before raiding the building and ordering staff and patients to leave, Sabbah said.
Violence Continues Across Gaza
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on three houses in the nearby Gaza town of Beit Lahiya killed 25 people and wounded dozens more, medics said. Medics at the three hospitals have refused Israeli orders to evacuate their hospitals and leave patients unattended. They said at least 800 Palestinians have been killed in northern Gaza since the army began the new offensive three weeks ago.
New Ceasefire Push
The escalation came as the US pushed for a new effort to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, that would end the war and see the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held captive in Gaza as well as many Palestinians jailed by Israel. A Hamas official confirmed to Reuters on Friday that a delegation led by the group’s chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya arrived in Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian officials to discuss “ways to end the Israeli aggression on Gaza”.
Conflict Enters Second Year
The operation in northern Gaza has fuelled fears among Palestinians that Israeli forces are clearing the area in order to create a buffer zone for the military after the war or to pave the way for the return of settlers who left Gaza in 2005. Israel has denied such plans and accuses Hamas of hindering the evacuation of civilians to provide cover for its own forces, which Hamas, in turn, denies.
Conclusion
As the conflict enters its second year, the death toll from the Israeli campaign in Gaza is approaching 43,000, with the densely populated enclave in ruins. The ongoing violence has pushed the international community to seek a ceasefire deal, but the road ahead remains uncertain.
FAQs
* What is the current situation in Gaza?
The situation in Gaza remains volatile, with ongoing violence and reports of high casualties.
* What is the cause of the conflict?
The conflict is between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian militant group.
* What is the current death toll in Gaza?
The death toll is approaching 43,000, with the densely populated enclave in ruins.
* What is the goal of the ceasefire push?
The goal is to end the war and see the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held captive in Gaza as well as many Palestinians jailed by Israel.