Israel-Gaza conflict claims lives of innocent civilians
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Patients, staff and displaced people departed Gaza’s largest hospital Saturday, leaving behind only Israeli forces and a skeleton crew to care for those too sick to move. The exodus came the day internet and phone service was restored to the Gaza Strip, ending a telecommunications outage that forced the United Nations to shut down critical aid deliveries.
In a troubling development, dozens of people were killed in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp when what witnesses described as an Israeli airstrike hit a crowded U.N. shelter in the main combat zone of northern Gaza. The Israeli military had warned residents to leave, but the attack caused extensive damage and loss of life.
Ahmed Radwan and Yassin Sharif described the scenes as “horrifying” with “corpses of women and children” strewn on the ground, while others were screaming for help. Associated Press’ photos from a local hospital showed more than 20 bodies wrapped in bloodstained sheets.
The Israeli military, which rarely comments on individual strikes, said its troops were active in the Jabaliya area “with the aim of hitting terrorists.” The commissioner general of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, expressed outrage, stating that the attacks must stop and called for a humanitarian ceasefire.
In another tragic incident, an Israeli airstrike hit a residential building on the outskirts of the town of Khan Younis, killing at least 26 Palestinians, according to a doctor at the hospital where the bodies were taken.
The Israeli military has also been accused of searching for traces of a Hamas command center under Shifa Hospital, urging patients and medical staff to evacuate. However, it remains unclear where the evacuated individuals have gone, with the majority of Gaza’s hospitals being non-functional due to a lack of fuel, damage, and other issues.
After the violence ends, a critical issue will be the future of Gaza, with many lamenting the devastation that has engulfed the territory, raising concerns over food and water supplies, electricity shortages, and medical care.
The continued violence has sparked frustration among residents, with Gaza’s main power plant shut down early in the conflict, worsening already dire living conditions. The U.N. has warned that Gaza’s 2.3 million people are running critically short of food and water, and said the amount of fuel being provided is only half of the daily minimum requirement.
Suggestions that the offensive will expand south, where most of Gaza’s population is taking shelter, have caused further fears and unease among those remaining in the area. This has placed a significant strain on the already dire situation in Gaza, with many calling for an end to the violence and a return to peace.