A local hospital reports that at least 48 Palestinians have lost their lives in a series of Israeli air strikes in northern Gaza overnight.
An Indonesian hospital has confirmed that 22 children and 15 women are among the fatalities following strikes on several homes in Jabalia town and the adjacent refugee camp. A video circulating on the internet seemingly depicts a scene with at least a dozen bodies lying on the floor.
The Israeli military has announced that it is investigating the reports. Residents of Jabalia and surrounding areas were issued an evacuation warning on Tuesday night following the launch of rockets into Israel by a Palestinian armed group.
The UN’s humanitarian affairs chief has called on members of the UN Security Council to take decisive action to “prevent genocide” in Gaza.
During a meeting in New York on Tuesday, Tom Fletcher levelled accusations against Israel, claiming that the nation is “deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on civilians.”
He urged Israel to end its 10-week blockade on Gaza and expressed criticism of the Israeli-US initiative to control the distribution of humanitarian aid in the region.
In a statement to the council, Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, asserted that foreign aid is being utilized to support Hamas’s military operations.
In a significant development, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Adam Boehler announced their plans to travel to Qatar to engage in new negotiations concerning a potential ceasefire and the release of hostages.
In a bold statement this week, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a warning regarding the potential escalation of military operations in Gaza, contingent upon Hamas’s decision to release the 58 hostages currently in its custody.
On Tuesday, local officials reported that a significant Israeli air strike targeted the compound of a European hospital in southern Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least 28 individuals.
Reports from Israeli media indicate that the target of the operation was Mohammed Sinwar, who is thought to have assumed leadership of Hamas in Gaza following the death of his brother Yahya at the hands of Israeli forces last October.
The Israeli military characterized the operation as “a precise strike on Hamas terrorists who were functioning within a command-and-control centre” located beneath the hospital.
In a decisive move, the Israeli military initiated a campaign aimed at dismantling Hamas following an extraordinary cross-border assault on October 7, 2023. This attack resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals, with an additional 251 people taken hostage.
According to the health ministry controlled by Hamas, the death toll in Gaza has reached at least 52,908 since the onset of the conflict.
