The Israeli army continued its violent attacks on the Gaza Strip for the 108th day of the war, which has killed about 25,000 people and injured more than 62,000, mostly women and children, according to the latest official count.
In the northern Gaza Strip, clashes resumed between the Israeli army and the resistance forces, especially in the east and west of Gaza City. The Karama and Intelligence Towers areas witnessed fierce fighting, amid air raids and artillery shelling on residential areas. In the centre of the strip, the Israeli army resumed its intense attacks on the Nuseirat and Bureij camps and areas in Deir al-Balah, along with ground clashes.
The Israeli bombing campaign coincided with the worsening humanitarian disaster in the besieged Gaza Strip and the starvation campaign launched by Israel since the first day of the war by imposing a tight blockade that prevents regular entry of aid and cuts off the northern part of the strip completely.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the Israeli army committed 15 massacres against civilians in the past 24 hours, killing 178 and injuring 293, raising the death toll of the Israeli aggression to 25,105 and the injury toll to 62,681.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Monday that citizens had to bury 40 dead in a mass grave in the yard of the Nasser Medical Complex. The director of the Surgical Hospital at Nasser Medical Complex had said earlier that 50 dead and more than 100 critically ill people had arrived at the hospital.
The Director General of the Government Information Office in Gaza, Ismail Al-Thawabta, said in media statements that more than 400,000 Palestinians in Gaza are facing real famine. Al-Thawabta renewed his call for Egypt to open the Rafah crossing.
The Palestinian Red Crescent also expressed its deep concern for the safety of its staff working at Al Amal Hospital and the association’s headquarters in Khan Yunis. It urged the international community to intervene urgently to protect the medical teams and facilities.
Also on Monday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that the Gaza Strip was experiencing the longest period of communications blackout since the start of the war. It added that the communications disruption impedes the humanitarian response and limits access to vital information.
Meanwhile, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi condemned the “extremist racist agenda” of the Israeli government and said that it defies the world by rejecting a two-state solution to end the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.
Safadi told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, “Israel is destroying the future of peace and security in the region. The only way out of this tragedy is the two-state solution. They are challenging the entire international community, and it is time for the world to take a stand.”
Moreover, the Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Michael Martin said that his country was considering joining the genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice. Martin said that the current priority was a ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages, and the delivery of humanitarian aid, adding that “the situation in Gaza is tragic, and there is no excuse now to delay the provision of aid.”
On the ground, the Israeli army announced that 13 of its soldiers were wounded in the battles of the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, and the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), are engaged in fierce clashes with the occupation forces in Khan Yunis, in which they sought to advance from several fronts.
The Al-Quds Brigades said that they bombed a supply line for enemy vehicles east of Jabalia with a barrage of mortar shells, in a joint operation with the Al-Qassam Brigades.
For its part, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades also announced that it targeted an Israeli foot force with an anti-personnel missile west of the city of Khan Yunis, killing and wounding it. Al-Qassam said that it targeted a Merkava occupation army tank with an “Al-Yassin 105” shell, and a “D9” bulldozer with a “Tandem” shell, west of the city of Khan Yunis.
