On Monday, areas in central and southern Gaza Strip were hit by Israel as a means to intensify pressure on the group known as Hamas. This follows another operation over the weekend which was aimed towards the group’s leadership and resulted in the death of numerous Palestinians who had sought refuge in an improvised camp.
A prior Israeli operation had turned a dense area of Mawasi by the Mediterranean coast into a burnt wasteland filled with debris from flaming vehicles and mutilated bodies. Survivors, forced to leave the area, stated their confusion over their next location.
Aya Mohammad aged 30, a vendor in Mawasi, stated via a mobile text message, “The ground trembling beneath me, the rising dust and sand towards the sky, and the sight of severed bodies was an experience I could never have envisioned in my life. Everyone inquires about our next destination but no one seems to have an answer.’
Israel initiated new strikes on Gaza after a weekend of conflicts resulted in numerous deaths within the safety area. Israel claims that the strikes were aimed at Hamas’ military commander Mohammed Deif, believed to be responsible for the assault launched on Israeli towns and villages on October 7th which sparked the war in Gaza.
According to Israeli officials, the attacks targeted an open area filled with multiple structures and were launched on a compound controlled by Hamas rather than a tented camp.
Palestinian officials reported that, at minimum, 90 people lost their lives during the Saturday attacks leaving many more injured. A field report from Reuters journalists illustrated the devastation left in the wake of the attacks, depicting locals moving wounded and deceased persons through a scene filled with fire and smoke.
Reports of renewed conflicts on Monday from Rafah, an area that has been the primary target for Israel since May, began to emerge. Residents claim that multiple homes were destroyed by Israeli forces in the western and central parts of the city. Officials within the health sector reported that they had recovered 10 bodies of Palestinians who had died due to Israeli gunfire in the eastern parts of the city, some bodies were already in the early stages of decomposition.
In the historical refugee camps of Al-Bureij and Al-Maghazi in central Gaza, there has been an escalation in air attacks and tank bombardment by the military. The health department reported that an Israeli air raid on a house in the Maghazi camp led to the deaths of five Palestinians.
Additionally, in an Israeli aerial assault on a property in the Al-Nuseirat camp situated in the central Gaza Strip earlier on Monday, Palestinian health officials confirmed the deaths of 11 Palestinians. The Israeli military revealed it had hit multiple Palestinian militant sites across Gaza, resulting in the death of numerous gunmen. It added that gunmen were annihilated in Rafah and central Gaza, sometimes in close combat situations.
The Al-Quds brigade, the militant sect of the Islamic Jihad, proclaimed its combatants were fighting intense battles in the Yabna camp in Rafah.
In an update on Monday in Deir Al-Balah, an area in the central Gaza Strip where no Israeli invasion has happened and that has offered refuge to hundreds of thousands, the local authorities announced an urgent notice. They stated that they could no longer supply the 700,000 locals with drinking water due to running out of fuel.
The notice highlighted the need for residents to conserve their private water supplies and stressed the importance of collective spirit and mutual cooperation. Speaking from the wreckage of his destroyed home in Deir Al-Balah, Walid Thabet recounted how an Israeli attack earlier on Monday claimed his family members’ lives. Rescue operators and locals delved through the ruins looking for survivors who were buried beneath the fallen structure.
“My mother, an elderly woman, was with me upstairs. She went downstairs and after five minutes, I had to pull her out from under the rubble. We also rescued my sister and my sister’s children from the wreckage,” Mr Thabet shared.
“My mother, my sister, and my sister’s children are the ones who perished. Children! One was only two and a half years old and I don’t know what happened to the other two. We can only hope and pray for their safety,” he continued.
The bloodshed that occurred in Mawasi on Saturday, deemed one of the most lethal Israeli attacks of the war, has eclipsed negotiations that both factions previously labelled as closest to a lasting ceasefire. Despite the strike in Mawasi, a high-ranking Hamas official disclosed on Sunday that the group had not withdrawn from the peace talks.
Israel acknowledged the elimination of another high-ranking officer but has yet to affirm the status of Deif, with Hamas spokespeople rejecting reports of his demise.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken engaged in discussions with Tzachi Hanegbi, Israeli National Security Advisor, and Ron Dermer, Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs, in the US capital. Their meeting revolved around debatable points inhibiting a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, according to Matthew Miller, spokesman for the State Department.
Senior advicers close to Prime Minister Netanyahu implied that Israel is keen on establishing a ceasefire, with a handful of issues that still require addressing. Blinken’s reaction to the Israeli assault aimed at Deif entailed concern for the growing number of civilian casualties, despite reinforcing Israel’s right to counter militants, but urged for consideration of non-combatants.
The Gaza health department indicated that Israeli military actions have claimed the lives of around 38,000 Palestinians since October 7. They did not distinguish between soldiers and civilians, but confirmed that the majority were unarmed citizens. Israel reports the loss of 326 troops and estimates that a third of the Palestinian deaths are combatants.
The conflict commenced following a Hamas-coordinated incursion into Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 mostly civilian individuals and over 250 hostages detained in Gaza, claimed Israeli officials.
The UN Environment Programme revealed that it will likely take up to 15 years to eliminate the approximately 40 million tons of debris left from the war in Gaza, according to Unrwa, the UN Palestinian refugee agency. This would necessitate more than 100 trucks and an estimated cost of over $500 million.
Unrwa cautioned about the potential hazards embedded in the debris, which is potentially hazardous due to unexploded ordnance and toxic materials. The United Nations disclosed that Israeli authorities have authorized the entrance of additional armoured vehicles and personal protection gear to augment humanitarian aid efforts in the Gaza Strip.
The United Nations has frequently voiced concerns over hurdles in delivering humanitarian assistance to Gaza, given that Israel scrutinises and approves all lorry entries. In addition, it states considerable difficulty in distributing help amid an atmosphere of “absolute anarchy” within the territory of 2.3 million inhabitants. Furthermore, a global famine watch organisation last month announced a significant risk of mass starvation in the area. – Reuters
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