ISRAELI forces have intensified their military operations across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, leaving a devastating toll in their wake.
In the past two days alone, airstrikes and ground raids have claimed the lives of dozens of civilians, with significant casualties reported in both Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Yesterday, Israeli warplanes struck targets in these cities, killing three civilians and injuring several others.
Medical sources report that 16 more citizens, including women and children, were killed in various attacks across the Strip, with the majority of casualties concentrated in central and southern Gaza.
Since October 7, 2023, the death toll in Gaza has reached a staggering 45,259 civilians, with over 107,627 injured.
The relentless bombardment has overwhelmed hospitals, including the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, where bodies now fill the hallways due to the inability to conduct burials.
The hospital has faced repeated attacks, leaving medical staff and hundreds of displaced civilians trapped amid severe shortages of food, water, and electricity.
In the West Bank, the Israeli occupation’s aggression continues unabated.
Yesterday, Israeli forces demolished a house in the village of Shuyukh al-Arroub, north of Hebron, displacing seven people.
Elsewhere, in Qalandia camp near Jerusalem, three Palestinian men were injured during a violent raid, as occupation forces stormed homes and unleashed live ammunition.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers escalated their attacks against Palestinian communities, including the Ein Al-Auja Bedouin area near Jericho.
Colonists grazed sheep on private lands, destroying fodder and terrorising residents, particularly women and children.
In a statement released on Sunday, Palestinian resistance movement Hamas described the targeting of shelters, schools, and medical facilities as ‘an unprecedented crime against humanity’.
Hamas highlighted Israel’s order to evacuate the hospital as a form of ‘ethnic cleansing and forced displacement’, and called on Arab and Muslim nations, as well as international bodies, to intervene.
‘The occupation army continues its brutal bombing and systematic destruction of areas in northern Gaza, especially Jabalia, its refugee camp, and Beit Lahia,’ the group’s statement added.
Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the hospital’s director, warned of catastrophic consequences should the facility be forced to shut down. ‘We currently have nearly 400 civilians inside the hospital, including babies in the neonatal unit whose lives depend on oxygen and incubators. We cannot evacuate these patients safely without assistance, equipment, and time,’ he said.
Speaking amid ongoing bombardment, Dr Abu Safiya described the perilous conditions, including the targeting of fuel tanks that could result in mass casualties if hit.