Israel-Hamas War: At Least 39 Killed in Israeli Air Strikes Across Northern Gaza
23.06.2024: In a devastating escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict, at least 39 people were killed in Israeli air strikes across northern Gaza on Saturday. Palestinian and hospital officials have confirmed the fatalities, which come just a day after strikes on tent camps near Rafah killed at least 25 people and wounded 50 others.
Key Details:
- Casualties:
- Fadel Naem, director of the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, reported that more than three dozen bodies were brought to the hospital. The Palestinian Civil Defense, an emergency group active in Gaza, pulled approximately the same number of bodies from a building hit in an eastern neighborhood of Gaza City.
- Ongoing Operations:
- Israeli forces continue their operations in central and southern Gaza, including the invasion of Rafah. Over a million Palestinians sought refuge in Rafah, but most have now fled. The United Nations has declared that no place in Gaza is safe, with dire humanitarian conditions as families shelter without adequate food, water, or medical supplies.
- Additional Strikes:
- A separate Israeli strike in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley killed a member of al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, a Sunni Muslim faction allied with Hamas. This marks the seventh killing by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since the war began.
- Background:
- The conflict ignited on October 7, 2023, after Hamas militants stormed southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages. Israel’s response has included heavy bombardment and ground invasions, resulting in over 37,400 Palestinian deaths according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
- West Bank Violence:
- In the northern West Bank town of Qalqilya, an Israeli man was fatally shot, following the fatal shooting of two militants by Israeli forces on Friday. Since the conflict began, at least 549 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, while Palestinians have killed at least nine Israelis, including five soldiers, during the same period.
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Source – India Tv