In the central region of the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces launched aggressive attacks on Wednesday, resulting in approximately nine Palestinian fatalities, as confirmed by health officials. Israeli tanks have also reportedly made a minor inroad further into southern Rafah.
A house in Al-Zawyda in the centralized Gaza Strip was targeted during an Israeli air raid close to midnight, resulting in eight casualties, as stated by the health officials. An additional attack wiped a man out in Nuseirat camp, one of the eight refugee camps within the enclave, where a school was previously struck by an Israeli air raid leaving 23 dead a day earlier.
Eastern areas of Al-Bureij and Al-Maghazi camps in the centre of the Gaza Strip were bombarded by Israeli tanks, as per the local residents’ claims. An air raid resulted in the destruction of a mosque as stated by residents.
Moreover, in Rafah, tanks launched an assault in the northern part of the city before pulling back, a strategy that the Israeli forces have previously employed in other areas before staging more invasive actions. Since May, tanks have been active across most parts of the city, although they have avoided the northern districts.
Medical professionals reported two fatalities in Rafah on Wednesday, resulting from an Israeli attack, and local residents claim that the forces destroyed numerous homes.
The Israeli military asserted that troops were engaged in “specific, intelligence-based operational activity in Rafah”. It claimed to have neutralised a supposed terrorist cell and a launcher used for counterattacks.
In the last day, air raids have reportedly hit 25 targets throughout the Gaza Strip, while troops continue to operate in the central region, even working to dismantle structures used to monitor the soldiers.
Nine months into the conflict, anti-tank rockets, mortar bombs, and at times, barrages of rockets continue to be used against Israeli forces by the Palestinian fighters, predominantly led by the Islamist group, Hamas.
Following an attack on southern Israeli communities by Hamas militants, resulting in 1,200 deaths and about 250 hostages on October 7th, based on Israeli records, Israel pledged to eliminate Hamas.
On Tuesday, Israeli military stated it had eradicated half of Hamas’s military wing leadership, having killed or captured close to 14,000 fighters since warfare began.
Since the onset of Israel’s aggressive retaliatory strategy, Gaza’s health authorities report at least 38,000 Palestinian deaths. Israel acknowledges 326 Israeli soldier casualties in Gaza.
Arab diplomat’s endeavours, supported by the United States, to halt the ongoing conflict seem to be paused; nevertheless, officials, including those from Israel and Hamas—who currently engage in a blame game over the standstill—have expressed their willingness for further discussions. The objective of any such agreement would be to terminate the war, liberate Israeli prisoners in Gaza, and release numerous Palestinians incarcerated by Israel in return.
On Wednesday, Israel set free 13 Palestinians who were imprisoned during its military operations in Gaza, according to a statement from the Palestinian Red Crescent. The liberated prisoners were relocated to a central Gaza Strip hospital for medical care.
Many of the hundreds of Palestinians previously released by Israel have accused its forces of abuse and torture. The Palestinian Prisoner Association reported that close to 20 Palestinians who were apprehended from Gaza died in Israeli custody. However, Israel refutes these torture claims.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch disclosed in a report published on Wednesday that the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed division, along with at least four other Palestinian armed factions had “committed a host of war crimes and human rights violations against civilians during the assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023”. According to the report, these crimes comprised “deliberate and random strikes against civilians and non-military targets; deliberate execution of detainees; cruel and other inhumane treatment; sexual and gender-based violence; abduction; corporal mutilation and desecration of corpses; usage of human shields; and plundering and theft”.
In retaliation, Hamas refuted “the falsehoods and clear prejudice” in favour of Israel and demanded that Human Rights Watch rescind its report and offer an apology. – Reuters.