Israeli air assaults on central Gaza on Sunday night and Monday morning have resulted in the tragic deaths of at least 16 individuals, according to Palestinian health authorities. Among the deceased were five women and four children. Reports suggest that an residential building in Nuseirat refugee camp in the core of Gaza, which shelters a dense population, was demolished by a Monday morning air strike, resulting in at least ten fatalities, including four women and two children.
Medical staff at al-Awda hospital, who attended to the victims, confirmed the death toll and reported that an additional 13 people suffered injuries. Local news outlets, citing hospital records, announced that the dead comprised of a mother, her offspring and five siblings. An air strike on another building in Gaza City resulted in the demise of six more individuals, including a woman and two children; a detail confirmed by civil defence, a squad of emergency workers associated with Hamas.
The Israeli military asserts that their operations are narrowly aimed at combatants, and condemn Hamas and other military groups for putting civilians in danger by functioning in residential locations. Almost a year into the Gaza conflict, the Palestinian death toll has surpassed 41,000, according to local health services. Civilians make up most of the deaths, which is nearly 2% of Gaza’s pre-war population, or equivalent to one in every 50 individuals. The conflict was sparked by an attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and approximately 250 hostages taken.
A leading Hamas spokesperson confirmed to Agence France-Presse on Sunday evening that new combatants have been enlisted since the October 7 assault, coming shortly after Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, asserted that Hamas no longer survived as a military group in Gaza. During a discussion in Istanbul, Osama Hamdan, a member of Hamas, defended the group’s capacity to endure, adding that despite the great sacrifices and loss of life, this has resulted in experiential learning and the integration of new fighters into the cause.
Hamdan, a representative of Hamas, recently shared that a surface-to-surface missile struck central Israel, causing a fire near Kfar Daniel. This marked the first time such a missile reached this area. The strike, which was claimed by Houthi rebels from Yemen, demonstrated the limitations of Israel’s defensive capabilities, including its air defense system. Hamdan iterated the message that Israel was not invulnerable, and that their abilities have bounds.
The Israeli military is currently determining whether the fire was caused by pieces from interceptor missiles aimed at the projectile, or if the missile had indeed navigated through Israel’s air defenses, as touted by the Houthis. Israel’s Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has vowed a severe response to the Houthis, while their leader has been forewarning of more formidable attacks.
Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, indicated that a US MQ-9 drone had been intercepted in Yemen’s province of Dhamar. Meanwhile, concern is mounting regarding the escalating conflict at the Israel-Lebanon border. Gallant, speaking to US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, warned of a diminishing window for a negotiated agreement to cease hostilities with Hizbullah, who on Sunday reported around 40 projectile attacks.
Whilst Hizbullah has suggested that it would stop its assaults if a ceasefire were established in Gaza, months of negotiations steered by the US, Qatar, and Egypt have seen repeated delays. Gallant assured Austin that regardless of the outcome, Israel’s defense sector would maintain its focus on undermining Hamas and securing the release of detainees in Gaza.
Amidst all this, there are speculations that Gallant’s role is in jeopardy; sources from the prime minister’s division hinted that Netanyahu is contemplating replacing him with New Hope chair, Gideon Sa’ar. National security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has further fuelled these rumours by suggesting that the time to replace Gallant has arrived.
For several months, there has been speculation that Mr Netanyahu could potentially succeed Mr Gallant. Their relationship, already fraught, was further destabilised by Mr Netanyahu’s abrupt choice to discharge Mr Gallant in March 2023, premised on the latter’s vehement opposition to the altering judiciary landscape of the state. The Prime Minister’s decision was, however, subsequently recalled due to a public backlash.
Some members of Mr Netanyahu’s government have expressed their support for the removal of Mr Gallant, identifying a series of complaints, such as his opposition to an ultra-Orthodox conscription bill endorsed by the government, and his publicly expressed conflicting views with the Prime Minister on issues varying from a hostage negotiation to Israel’s occupancy in the Philadelphi passageway on the perimeter of Gaza and Egypt.
Meanwhile, as noted by the chief of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency on Monday, polio immunisation has achieved 90% coverage in Gaza, asserting that the aim is now to administer a second dose to hundreds of thousands of children by the end of this month.
The drive to inoculate approximately 640,000 Gazan children aged under ten against polio, started on the 1st of September, presenting significant hurdles to Unrwa and its affiliates as a result of the ongoing Israel-Hamas dispute.
This followed last month’s confirmation by the World Health Organisation of an infant being partly paralysed by the type 2 polio virus, marking the first incident of its kind in Palestinian territory in a quarter-century.
Earlier this month, over 446,000 Palestinian children across central and southern Gaza were immunised, despite issues such as access restrictions, mandatory evacuations, and fuel shortages. A final round of vaccinations aimed to cater to an additional 200,000 children residing in northern Gaza, commencing on September 10th.
Unrwa’s chief Philippe Lazzarini reported that the initial round of the Gazan polio immunisation programme had concluded successfully, with 90% of children in the enclave having been administered a primary dose.
He noted that the conflict participants have for the most part adhered to required “humanitarian pauses,” demonstrating that, given the right political intentions, aid can be delivered undisturbed. “The next hurdle is to distribute the second doses to children at the close of September,” he stated on X. – Guardian/Reuters.