Metropolis Desk-
As violence erupted near Gaza City’s prominent Al Shifa hospital on Friday, Israel continued its aerial and ground bombing of the Gaza Strip, killing dozens of Palestinians, according to Palestinian sources and the Israeli military.
According to Palestinian health sources, eight people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, and 17 people were killed in two Israeli attacks on the Al-Shejaia district in eastern Gaza City.
At least ten officers who were in charge of obtaining relief for the displaced in northern Gaza were among those slain in Al-Shejaia, according to the government media office in Gaza, which is operated by Hamas.
The Israeli military reported that on the previous day, it had killed several gunmen and discovered weapons and military hardware while continuing operations in the vicinity of Gaza City’s Al Shifa complex “while mitigating harm to civilians, patients, medical teams, and medical equipment.”
One of the few medical facilities in north Gaza that was even partially operational prior to the most recent fighting was Al Shifa, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip prior to the conflict. It had also served as a shelter for displaced citizens.
According to the Israeli statement, its soldiers carried out operations in Khan Younis and Al-Karara, in the central and southern regions. During these raids, the troops engaged in gunfire with Palestinian militants before killing them and discovering weapons and rockets.
One of the two hospitals in the city, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, has been blockaded by Israeli soldiers for several days. According to the armed wing of Hamas, their militants struck Israeli forces close to the hospital.
Israel kept up its shelling of Rafah, the final safe haven for Palestinians and the home of more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, in the deep south of the Strip. Twelve Palestinians were murdered late on Thursday by Israeli airstrike on a residence. According to health officials in the region, Israel’s military assault in the Gaza Strip has claimed the lives of over 32,000 Palestinians since October 7. Of those, 71 have died in the last 24 hours.
It is estimated that thousands more people are trapped beneath the debris, and over 80% of Gazans have been forced to flee their homes, putting many in danger of starvation.
According to Israeli estimates, 1,200 people were killed and 253 hostages were taken hostage by Hamas militants who crossed the border and tore through villages in southern Israel, sparking the start of the conflict.
An elderly man in the northern Gaza Strip passed away from malnourishment and lack of medication, according to Palestinian media. The UN has warned that famine is likely as early as May. The World Court unanimously mandated on Thursday that Israel take all appropriate steps to guarantee Gaza’s population has access to essential food supplies and to stop the hunger from spreading.
The International Court of Justice’s (@ICJ) reaffirmed binding order from yesterday serves as a sobering reminder that the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is entirely human-caused and only getting worse. However, Philippe Lazzarini, the director of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, stated on X that it is still reversible.
He continued, “(This) means that Israel must reverse its decision and allow @UNRWA to open additional land crossings and to reach northern Gaza with food and nutrition convoys on a daily basis.” UNRWA reported earlier this week that Israel informed it that it would no longer permit its food convoys to the northern part of Gaza. Since March 21, four of these requests had been turned down, it continued.
Source- AFP
