GAZA: The Gaza health ministry reported on Thursday that latest Israeli airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of dozens more people as Israel escalates its operations. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, violence has increased alongside the conflict in Gaza, with an ongoing Israeli raid around Tulkarem for the second consecutive day.
Amidst the violence, medicine for hostages and fresh aid for civilians entered the Palestinian territory through a newly brokered deal, as announced by mediator Qatar.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, 93 people, including 16 in a single strike on a house in the southern city of Rafah, have lost their lives. Rafah has seen an influx of displaced individuals seeking refuge.
“The airstrike resulted in the deaths of 16 individuals, including women and children, with an additional 20 sustaining injuries,” stated the health ministry.
Umm Walid al-Zamli shared her heartbreaking story, revealing the loss of her children and home. With a choked voice, she expressed the anguish of losing her second-grade daughter, questioning what they had done wrong.
The Hamas government reported numerous strikes, including those on Khan Yunis in the south and Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza. Live AFPTV images captured an explosion preceding a heavy grey cloud of smoke over central-southern Gaza in the early afternoon. The situation remains tense and volatile in the region.
Israel is continued intense ground offensive and bombardment resulting in the killings of over 24,448 Palestinians, with approximately 70 percent of the casualties being women, children, and adolescents, as per health ministry records.
The dire situation in Gaza has prompted urgent calls from UN agencies for increased access to aid, citing the looming threats of famine and disease.
Qatar announced on Wednesday that, through French and Qatari mediation, an agreement had been reached, allowing medicine for hostages and aid to enter Gaza. Two planes, carrying a total of 61 tons of aid from Qatar and France, arrived in the Egyptian city of El-Arish near Gaza.
The International Committee of the Red Cross expressed relief at the deal, acknowledging it as a much-needed moment of respite, with 45 hostages expected to receive necessary medication.
