The Israeli bombing of Rafah continued throughout the day and evening on Sunday, day 219 of the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip – bringing the official death toll to over 35,000, although at least 7,000 remain missing and unaccounted for, likely under the rubble of what had been their homes before Israeli forces bombed every part of Gaza. Palestinian civilians, forced to flee three, four, five and six times, have had thousands of fliers dropped from Israeli helicopters today, Sunday, telling them to move once again. Images emerging from Rafah show people fleeing for their lives, trying to find anyplace safe from the Israeli bombs.
The assault on the displaced persons camps in Rafah come just days after Israeli tanks rolled into the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt – which was the only place through which a trickle of aid had been allowed to pass through into Gaza. Now the Israelis have sealed the border, and Palestinians in Gaza are completely isolated, with no aid able to enter for the starving population, and no emergency evacuations for people in dire medical need.
The Israeli military ground troops have re-entered Jabalia, in the north, and killed dozens of civilians. The soldiers were repelled from Zaytoun, where they faced Palestinian resistance fighters, and several Israeli soldiers were injured and evacuated by helicopter.
Sunday evening, Israeli warplanes destroyed Bisan Medical Center in Al-Bureij camp in the center of the Gaza Strip.
Since the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza began in late October 2023, over 500 Israeli soldiers have been killed. But Israel is no closer to its stated goal of freeing hostages by force. The massive Israeli military offensive has freed no hostages – but has resulted in a number of hostages being killed by the Israeli bombardment. The only hostages that have been freed came during a five day temporary truce in late November, and through negotiations with the leadership of the Palestinian resistance.
Palestinians fleeing from Rafah on Sunday:
From displacement to displacement, a never ending cycle…
Civilians were forced to leave their homes in North Gaza after witnessing the horrible massacres that israel committed against innocent families pic.twitter.com/jKIM3O30zl
— Mariam from Gaza 🇵🇸 (@KufiyyaPS) May 12, 2024
Palestinian journalist Nour Odeh writes: “The Israeli offensive on Rafah started with sealing off of Rafah & Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. For 5 days now, no aid, medicine, or fuel have entered Southern Gaza, where the majority of the population is. That means the population is on fast track to starvation. UN agencies say they will run out of food supplies today & that fuel for hospitals may not last until [next] Sunday. Staff of UN agencies & international humanitarian organizations are either huddled in their offices West of Rafah or are being displaced like the multitudes they serve.
“First order of forced displacement covered eastern parts of Rafah, including the government hospital (Abu Youssef AlNajjar). Today, Israel ordered the forced displacement of the center of Rafah (3 major refugee camps & packed neighborhoods), including the remaining hospital. Since the start, Israeli bombardment of homes in east & west Rafah has not stopped from the air, ground, and sea. That means 100s of thousands in tents not ordered to leave have lived through heavy bombardment with nowhere to go. Meanwhile, bombing across Gaza has escalated.
“By tomorrow, the handful of hospitals that are struggling to stay open will begin to shut down. Patients in the ICU and NICU will be at risk of death because there will be no fuel to power their life support machines. If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is.
“There is a cash crisis in Gaza. Even families receiving help from their siblings abroad have no way of getting cash. People are being ordered to go to Al-Mawasi, a small sand dune area without water, sanitation, infrastructure, services, or hospitals. People are on their own.
“Emotionally & psychologically, this is a harder displacement. For many thousands, this is the 3rd, 4th, 5th time or more to be forcibly displaced. For thousands of others, it’s their first; where their predecessors had hope of returning home, they know how this horror show goes.
“Today, the Israeli army also ordered the forced displacement of the densely populated areas in Jabalia, where the army said it will be carrying a violent offensive. Tens of thousands are being displaced to the West, where Israeli army is bombing homes & leveling neighborhoods.
“In Gaza City, Israeli troops have re-invaded Al-Zaytoun area for the third time, forcing thousands to flee without notice. Elsewhere in Gaza City, Israeli troops have once again employed the brutal tactic of leveling entire neighborhoods. The Israeli Cabinet approved expanding the Rafah offensive. Biden drew a very elastic red line he keeps stretching. But Netanyahu knows he will get away with it. Why? Because that’s been the story for decades.”
The objective of the assault on Gaza, according to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, is not to free the hostages, but to ‘destroy Hamas’ – he has also referenced a biblical passage referring to ‘Amalek’, in which ‘God’ directed the ancient Israelites to kill the ‘sons of Amalek’ – including men, women, children, infants, animals, and not to leave even a sheep alive.
One of the people working with the family members of the hostages said in the Times of Israel, about a late October meeting with Netanyahu, “We left the meeting very disappointed because Netanyahu talked about dismantling Hamas as the goal of the war. He didn’t promise anything regarding the demand to return the hostages. He merely said a military operation in Gaza was needed to serve as leverage for the hostages’ release.
“We later found out that Hamas had offered on October 9 or 10 to release all the civilian hostages in exchange for the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces – the Israeli military) not entering the Strip, but the government rejected the offer.”
updated from:
Day 219: Israeli Army Kills Dozens In Gaza
Published on: May 12, 2024 at 13:15
On Sunday, Day 219 of the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people in the destroyed Gaza Strip, Israeli missiles and shells killed dozens of Palestinians, including women and children, and injured scores across the coastal enclave.
In Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, the army fired barrages of missiles and shells at several parts of the city, causing many casualties.
Sources at the barely functional Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia said the corpses of twelve Palestinians, and many wounded, were moved to the medical center, and added that the search is ongoing for people under the rubble.
The sources added that dozens of Palestinians were killed and injured by Israeli missiles and shells in many areas in northern Gaza.
The army also carried out at least 100 air strikes on Jabalia city and the Jabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza, and also targeted buildings sheltering displaced families in the center of Jabalia town.
After the extensive bombing, thousands of Palestinians fled the area towards the western parts of Gaza City.
The attack came just a few hours after the army fired missiles at homes, in Jabalia, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians, and also targeting the home of Al-Jazeera correspondent Anas Sharif.
Furthermore, Israeli tanks and armored vehicles expanded their ground invasion of Jabalia town and Jabalia refugee camp, before attacking buildings housing displaced families.
In Gaza City, the army renewed the bombing of the Zeitoun neighborhood, south of the city, killing a wounding many Palestinians.
Sources at the Baptist Hospital in Gaza said at least two Palestinians were killed, and dozens were injured, in addition to about sixteen Palestinians who remain under the rubble of one of the targeted homes.
In the Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City, the army fired a missile at an apartment, killing and wounding many Palestinians; among the slain residents were a mother and her child, while among the injured were nine children.
In central Gaza, the army fired missiles and shells at homes and buildings, especially in the eastern areas of Deir Al-Balah, causing many casualties.
Dr. Nick Maynard, a British surgeon recently returned from Gaza, provides a chilling testimony of the harsh impact of Israeli military operations
In #Gaza, people are perishing not just from their injuries, but from the complications and malnutrition exacerbating their condition pic.twitter.com/nmJBbIIIyG
— Nour Naim| نُور (@NourNaim88) May 12, 2024
Also in central Gaza, the army fired missiles at the new refugee camp in Nusseirat, causing many casualties, while medics and rescue teams continued to search for potential survivors or slain Palestinians.
On Saturday evening, the army killed many Palestinians, including two doctors, in an extensive bombing of Deir Al-Balah.
In Rafah, in Gaza’s southmost part, the army fired a missile at a home in the city, killing nine Palestinians, including children and women, and wounding many others in the Ezbet Arabiya area, northwest of the city.
— Dr. Mads Gilbert (@DrMadsGilbert) May 11, 2024
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have no place to go and added that about 300.000 Palestinians fled Rafah in the past week, while the army continues the indiscriminate bombing of the city, and the continues the inhumane forced displacement of already displaced families.
Israel has now killed at least 34.971 Palestinians, including more than 15.002 children and 9.893 women, and injured more than 78.641, in addition to the thousands of Palestinians who remain under the rubble, since October 7, 2023.
Among the slain Palestinians are 792 medical staff, 142 press journalists, 246 educational staff, 152 UN staff, and 68 Civil Defense workers.
