Fatalities reported in Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza

Reports indicate that scores of individuals perished in Israeli aerial attacks conducted overnight in northern Gaza. According to paramedics and media outlets associated with Hamas, a minimum of 66 people, among them women and children, lost their lives when multiple residences housing displaced persons were struck close to Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia. A video, whose authenticity has not been confirmed, depicted over 20 corpses arranged on a street. The Hamas-administered Civil Defence agency reported that an additional 22 fatalities resulted from an attack on a dwelling in Gaza City’s northern Sheikh Radwan district. The Israeli military stated that it had targeted Hamas infrastructure in Beit Lahia and implemented measures to reduce civilian casualties. It offered no statement regarding the event in Gaza City. Lethal Israeli assaults were also documented in other parts of Gaza on Thursday. Nasser hospital, located in the southern city of Khan Younis, reported receiving the remains of 24 individuals who died as a result of Israeli military operations in that area and in adjacent Rafah. The Israeli military has recently escalated its ground operations in sections of northern Gaza, asserting that these actions are intended to prevent Hamas from reassembling. The United Nations has declared that Beit Lahia, along with the neighboring towns of Beit Hanoun and Jabalia, is under blockade, and that almost no humanitarian assistance has reached these areas since the beginning of October. Images from the site of the aerial attack in Beit Lahia on Thursday morning depicted mounds of debris and distorted metal, approximately 55 meters (185 feet) from Kamal Adwan hospital. Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the hospital’s director, reported “dozens of dead or missing.” He informed AFP news agency, “Bodies arrive at the hospital in pieces,” adding, “But there are no ambulances, the health system is on its knees in northern Gaza.” Dr. Abu Safiya stated that the hospital could only administer initial medical assistance to the majority of injured individuals brought in, due to Israeli forces restricting the entry of sufficient medical provisions. In a statement, the Israeli military affirmed that it had “struck Hamas terrorist infrastructure in the area of Beit Lahia” during the night, and that Hamas members, including some involved in the 7 October 2023 assault on Israel that initiated the Gaza conflict, had been active there. The statement further noted, “Prior to the strikes, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk to civilians, including the use of aerial surveillance, warning the population in the area to evacuate the active combat zone, and additional intelligence information.” It concluded, “The incident is under review.” Israel’s ground campaign in northern Gaza has resulted in the displacement of as many as 130,000 individuals over the preceding five weeks. The UN reports that 75,000 people in Beit Lahia, Jabalia, and Beit Hanoun continue to be under siege, facing diminishing provisions of water and food. A report issued last week by Human Rights Watch alleged that Israel had perpetrated war crimes and crimes against humanity through the intentional mass displacement of Palestinians within Gaza. Israel dismissed the report as “completely false and detached from reality”. Approximately 1.9 million individuals, constituting 90% of Gaza’s populace, have departed their residences over the last year, and 79% of the territory is subject to Israeli-issued evacuation directives, as per the UN. Israel initiated a military operation aimed at dismantling Hamas following the group’s unparalleled assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, an event that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 others. Since that time, close to 44,000 people have been killed and over 104,000 injured in Gaza, according to the health ministry managed by Hamas in the territory. On Wednesday, the United States vetoed a proposed ceasefire resolution for Gaza at the UN Security Council, marking the fourth instance it has exercised its veto authority during the conflict to protect its ally, Israel. Fourteen out of the 15 council members supported the draft, which called for the war in Gaza to “must end immediately, unconditionally and permanently and all remaining hostages must be immediately and unconditionally released”. Robert Wood, the Deputy US Ambassador to the UN, stated that the document “abandoned” the requirement for “a linkage between a ceasefire and the release of hostages”. Wood asserted that the suggested resolution would have conveyed a “dangerous message” to Hamas, implying that “there’s no need to come back to the negotiating table”. In a distinct development, US mediator Amos Hochstein has arrived in Israel, traveling from Lebanon. He has indicated that he perceives a “real opportunity” to conclude the conflict in Lebanon, following the general agreement by the Lebanese government and Hezbollah to a US-backed ceasefire proposal. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding its approach to external linking is available.