An armed man assaulted and killed three Israeli civilians close to the Allenby Bridge, a border point with Jordan, before he was gunned down by security agents on Sunday, as confirmed by Israeli officials. The attacker, described as a terrorist by the Israeli military, arrived at the location of the Allenby Bridge from Jordan in a lorry, descended from the vehicle, and commenced firing at the Israel security officers stationed at the bridge. The attacker was neutralised by the security agents, resulting in the loss of three Israeli civilian lives. The bridge, also called the King Hussein Bridge, is roughly equidistant between Amman and Jerusalem, located to the north of the Dead Sea.
In a separate incident, an Israeli air raid on a residential building in Jabalia on Sunday led to the death of Mohammad Morsi, the assistant chief of the Gaza Civil Emergency Service in the northern regions of the Gaza Strip, along with four members of his family, as reported by health officials. The Civil Emergency Service, in a statement, suggested that the number of its personnel killed by Israeli fire has escalated to 83 since the 7th of October due to Mr Morsi’s death.
Local residents claimed that Israeli forces have destroyed many homes in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City, approximately 5km away from Jabalia. Medical crews reportedly were not able to respond to pleas from residents who stated they were entrapped inside their homes, with some sustaining injuries.
Israel and Hamas persistently accuse each other for the unsuccessful mediation attempts by countries including Qatar, Egypt, and the United States to arrange a ceasefire. It has been reported that the US is preparing to present a fresh proposal, however, prospects of a successful resolution seem uncertain as the difference in the sides’ stands remains substantial.
On Sunday, a polio vaccination campaign for children in the southern Gaza Strip was extended by an extra day by the United Nations, in collaboration with local health authorities. The campaign is set to move north on Monday and aims to vaccinate 640,000 children in Gaza following its first case of polio in nearly a quarter-century. The campaign has been able to proceed due to short lulls in the ongoing conflict.
UN representatives reported making significant strides, reaching over fifty percent of the children in need of the drops during the initial two phases in the southern and central parts of the Gaza Strip. A follow-up vaccination round is set to occur a month after the first.
The longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict took a violent turn on the 7th of October when Hamas assaulted Israel, resulting in 1,200 fatalities and around 250 captives, as per Israeli calculations.
In retaliation, Israel’s attack on Gaza has led to the demise of around 40,900 Palestinians, as claimed by the Hamas-run health ministry. The onslaught not only displaced almost all of the 2.3 million inhabitants, inciting a famine crisis, but also resulted in accusations of genocide in the World Court, a claim that Israel refuses.
Israel, which has suffered the loss of 340 soldiers in Gaza, contends that at least one third of the deceased Palestinians were combatants. (Source: Reuters)