Israeli attacks kill over 30 Palestinians in Gaza & 2 in West Bank last 24 hours
By Nadine Osman
London, (The Muslim News): In the past 24 hours, relentless Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have resulted in the deaths of at least 33 Palestinians and left 67 more injured, according to the Health Ministry. This recent escalation has raised the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since October 7 to 40,819, including 16,479 children, with approximately 94,291 people injured.
The latest casualties occurred near a hospital in central Deir el-Balah shortly after a brief pause in fighting for polio vaccinations ended on Tuesday.
In Gaza City, an Israeli airstrike targeted Namaa College, which was sheltering displaced people, killing at least seven and injuring several others. Many were trapped under the rubble, and the Palestinian Civil Defence Agency has warned of possible further strikes on the college.
Witnesses described the area as densely populated with both residents and displaced individuals.
On Wednesday morning, several areas across Gaza were struck. In Gaza City, a house in the Al-Daraj neighbourhood was bombed, resulting in one death and several injuries, and a fire broke out as a consequence.
In the Al-Sahaba area, a family barracks was hit, injuring four, while residential buildings in the Al-Zeitoun Junun neighbourhood were destroyed. Israeli military vehicles targeted homes in the Tal Al-Hawa and Al-Zeitoun neighbourhoods, and artillery shelling affected northern parts of the Al-Nuseirat camp and eastern regions near Khan Yunis and Rafah.
Simultaneously, in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army has bolstered its presence in the northern region on Wednesday as a major offensive, now in its eighth day, persists. Wafa news agency reports severe damage in Tulkarem, where a significant Israeli military operation has been underway for three days.
Bombings in the Tulkarem refugee camp have caused fires in the al-Shamaliya neighbourhood, leaving at least eight people needing treatment for suffocation. Israeli snipers are positioned on rooftops, while spy drones and bulldozers contribute to extensive destruction, leaving “no street or alley undamaged.” The ongoing blockade of al-Israa and Thabet schools has further intensified the devastation.
On Tuesday, Israeli fire resulted in the deaths of two Palestinians in the Dannabeh neighbourhood near Tulkarem. Their bodies were withheld by Israeli forces, who also raided the area, surrounded a house, and used loudspeakers to demand the occupants surrender while firing rocket-propelled grenades at the building.
Earlier, a Palestinian girl was killed by Israeli fire in Kafr Dan, near Jenin in the northern West Bank.
Since August 28, Israeli forces have been conducting a major military operation in the northern West Bank, described as the largest in two decades. This operation has led to at least 33 deaths and 130 injuries, with extensive damage reported. Jenin city has experienced the highest number of casualties, with 18 people killed.
Since October 7, Israeli attacks have caused at least 682 deaths and injured over 5,700 people in the West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.
This surge in violence follows a landmark International Court of Justice opinion on July 19, which declared Israel’s long-standing occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
[Photo: Palestinian family mourns death of their daughter killed by Israeli attack as she played with her roller skates in the street, in Gaza City, Gaza on 04 09, 2024. Photojournalist: Mahmoud İssa/ AA]
The post Israeli attacks kill over 30 Palestinians in Gaza & 2 in West Bank last 24 hours appeared first on The Muslim News.