On Thursday, the Israeli army continued the bombing and shelling of various parts of the devastated Gaza Strip, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians, including many children and women.
The army fired a missile from a drone at Palestinian near Omar Mosque in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, north of Gaza City, killing four and wounding several others, before the medics moved them to the Baptist Hospital in the city.
Several Palestinians were also injured when the army fired a missile at displaced Palestinians in at the Al-Ghazali Junction area in Sheikh Radwan,
In addition, the army wired and detonated several homes and building in the Tiwam area northwest of Gaza City.
An Israeli military helicopter fired barrages of live rounds at the eastern area of the Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City.
Six Palestinians were killed and fifteen were injured when the army fired a missile at Rimal clinic, housing displaced families, west of Gaza City.
A Palestinian judge, Mohammad Taher Shehada, was killed and one Palestinian was injured when the army fired a missile on the Saftawi Street in Gaza City.
The army also fired a missile at the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, in central Gaza, killing one Palestinian and wounding another.
One Palestinian was injured when the army fired a shell at the Da’wa Street in Nuseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza.
Also, the army fired a missile at a home for the Abu Mohadi family, northwest of Nuseirat refugee camp.
The Palestinian Health Ministry stated that the army committed a massacre after it fired missiles at Rafida School, where families sheltered, west of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, killing at least 28 Palestinians, and wounding dozens, most of whom are children and women.
In Jabalia, in northern Gaza, the army fired a missile at a home for the Al-Hawajiri family, in the Al-Jorn area, killing and wounding several Palestinians.
In Rafah, in Gaza’s southmost part, the army fired shells at the eastern part of the city, killing one Palestinian and wounding several others.
One woman and a young man were killed, and many were injured, when the army fired a missile at a home in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Rafah; the search continues for Palestinians under the rubble.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said the army committed four massacres in Gaza, Thursday, killing more than 39 and wounding 137, in addition to many who remain under the rubble in several parts of the coastal enclave.
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, stated that “the devastating conflict in Lebanon, along with the intense strikes in Syria” and the Israeli aggression in the occupied Palestinian territories, “indicates a region teetering dangerously on the brink of a full-scale war.”
In her briefing to a Security Council session held last night to discuss the situation in the Middle East, DiCarlo said, “Our collective failure to stop the violence and bloodshed is condemnable.”
She urged Israel, the occupying power, to cease its bombing of Lebanon and withdraw its ground forces. She added, “The parties must seize the diplomatic options available to them, not the weapons they possess,” emphasizing that the parties should commit to returning to a ceasefire and fully implementing Security Council Resolutions 1559 of 2004 and 1701 of 2006.
The Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs also stated that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon and Israel must be respected, along with obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law.”
She urged Israel, the occupying power, to cease its bombing of Lebanon and withdraw its ground forces. She added, “The parties must seize the diplomatic options available to them, not the weapons they possess,” emphasizing that the parties should commit to returning to a ceasefire and fully implementing Security Council Resolutions 1559 of 2004 and 1701 of 2006.
DiCarlo emphasized the “need to distinguish between civilians and combatants, and between civilian infrastructure and military objectives. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must not be targeted, and indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks must be avoided.”
She also stressed that “humanitarian workers, medical personnel, and journalists must not be targeted, and the protection of United Nations staff, including the brave peacekeepers along the Blue Line and members of the UN family working in such dangerous conditions throughout Lebanon, is essential.”
She concluded her briefing by stating, “We need now to make every effort to reverse the course of this cycle of violence and save Lebanon, Israel, and the region from the brink of disaster.”
In an unofficial tally, the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli military in Gaza since the beginning of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023 has risen to at least 42,909 killed, and 97,303 wounded, the majority of whom are women and children, and thousands of victims who are still under the rubble and on the roads where they cannot be reached.
Among the slain Palestinians are at least 16,891 children, 11,458 women, 174 journalists, 85 emergency responders, 986 medical staff, and 203 UNRWA staff.
The British Lancet Medical Journal and other experts estimate the death toll in Gaza is much higher – and could be above 200,000, when counting both direct and indirect deaths related to the Israeli war on Gaza.
This most recent escalation of Israel’s ongoing military occupation of Palestine began October 7th 2023 when 1,143 Israelis were killed, including 767 civilians and 376 armed soldiers. At least 500 Israeli soldiers have been killed between October 7th and now – both in Gaza and on the Israeli border with Lebanon – some estimates by groups monitoring the Israeli military have put the death toll among Israeli soldiers much higher, with some estimates as high as 10,000 soldiers killed in the past year.
