KEY POINTS
- 77 more Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza.
- MSF accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing.
- Jewish settlers set a mosque on fire in West Bank
GAZA: At least 77 more Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza, bringing the overall tally to 45,206, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said on Friday.
A ministry statement said that some 107,512 others have been wounded in the ongoing strikes.
“Israeli forces killed 77 people and injured 174 others in three massacres of families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.
—Photo by Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP – Getty Images
“Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Thursday accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” in the Gaza Strip in a report documenting the 14-month conflict.
Meanwhile, Palestinian officials reported that Jewish settlers have set a mosque on fire in the occupied West Bank, an act Israeli police said was under investigation.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry in Ramallah condemned the incident, describing it as a “blatant act of racism” and a manifestation of the “widespread incitement campaigns against our people orchestrated by elements of Israel’s extremist right-wing ruling government.”
Israeli police and the domestic Shin Bet security agency characterised the incident as highly severe. They pledged to act decisively to hold those responsible accountable and confirmed that an investigation is currently underway.
Acts of Genocide in Gaza
Israeli forces have launched attacks across various parts of Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 19 Palestinians and injuring numerous others, according to local reports.
The Civil Defence Directorate stated that airstrikes in the Sabra area of southern Gaza City targeted the homes of the Abu Shanab, Kiyyali, and Al-Lawh families, killing nine people and injuring many more.
Health sources reported that Israeli drones targeted two motorcycles in southern Gaza, killing three individuals.
Separate air strikes in central Gaza City and the southern city of Rafah left six more Palestinians dead and many wounded. Additionally, an Israeli drone strike in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza killed one person and wounded others, according to local reports.
In a separate report published Thursday, New York-based Human Rights Watch accused Israel of committing “acts of genocide” in the Gaza Strip by deliberately restricting Palestinians’ access to water.
HRW said Israel has so far killed thousands of Palestinians by depriving them of water.
READ ALSO: Putin Ready to Meet Trump ‘Anytime’ to Talk Ukraine Deal
“This policy, inflicted as part of a mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, means Israeli authorities have committed the crime against humanity of extermination, which is ongoing,” the organisation stated.
(Photo by AFP)
According to Reuters, HRW is the second major rights group in a month to use the word genocide to describe the actions of Israel in Gaza, after Amnesty International issued a report that concluded Israel was committing genocide.
