CAIRO: Israeli military strikes have resulted in the deaths of at least 50 Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces intensified their operations around Jabalia in the north on Tuesday, amid fierce confrontations with Hamas fighters.
Palestinian health officials reported that at least 17 individuals were killed by Israeli fire near Al-Falouja in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps. Additionally, 10 people were killed in Bani Suhaila in eastern Khan Younis when an Israeli missile hit a residential building.
Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike demolished three houses in the Sabra suburb of Gaza City. Local emergency services reported recovering two bodies from the wreckage while searching for 12 others believed to be inside during the strike. Eight more fatalities were recorded when a house was struck in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.
Later in the day, the Gaza health ministry announced that a doctor was killed while attempting to aid those injured by Israeli strikes in Al-Falouja. Several medics were also wounded when their ambulance came under Israeli fire in both northern and southern Gaza.
Jabalia has been the target of an Israeli offensive for over ten days, with troops returning to areas in the north that experienced heavy bombardment earlier in the year-long conflict.
This military operation has sparked concerns among Palestinians and UN agencies that Israel may be trying to forcibly displace residents from the densely populated northern enclave, a claim that Israel has denied.
Residents have reported that Israeli forces have destroyed dozens of homes over the past ten days. The UN human rights office stated that the Israeli military appears to be “cutting off North Gaza completely from the rest of the Gaza Strip.”
“Amid intense ongoing hostilities and evacuation orders in northern Gaza, families are facing unimaginable fear, loss of loved ones, confusion, and exhaustion. People must be able to flee safely, without facing further danger,” said Adrian Zimmerman, head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Gaza.
“Many, including the sick and disabled, cannot leave, and they remain protected under international humanitarian law. All possible precautions must be taken to ensure they remain unharmed. Every displaced person has the right to return home safely,” he added.