On Thursday, the Israeli army continued bombing and shelling various parts of the destroyed, besieged, and starved Gaza Strip, including the bombing of schools sheltering displaced families, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians, including many children and women.
In central Gaza, many casualties were reported after the army fired a missile at a tent sheltering a displaced family, north of the new refugee camp in Nusseirat.
At least one Palestinian was killed, and several others were injured when an Israeli military drone targeted displaced families in the Nasr neighborhood, located in the northern part of Rafah, in Gaza’s southernmost region.
In Gaza City, three Palestinians were killed, and many others were injured when the army launched a missile at the Fahed Sabah School, which was housing displaced families.
This attack followed shortly after the army fired three missiles at Dar Al-Arqam School, also a shelter for displaced families, resulting in the deaths of 31 Palestinians and injuries to more than 100 others.
Medical sources reported that the bodies of the slain Palestinians, including many children and women, were severely mutilated.
In related developments, Palestinian medics and Civil Defense teams recovered the bodies of twelve Palestinians and evacuated 20 wounded individuals after the Israeli army bombarded several homes in the Turkman area of the Shuja’iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
Even though most of the casualties and injuries are civilians—including children, women, the elderly, journalists, and Civil Defense volunteers—the spokesperson for the Israeli army stated that the intense aerial bombardment in the Gaza Strip is a precursor to a ground invasion.
In his first public statement on Thursday evening since assuming his position, Efi Doverin said: “In northern Gaza, forces are targeting objectives and clearing the area. Additionally, we are maintaining operational ambiguity to surprise the enemy. Our actions will prove their merit.”
He further added: “Over 600 targets in Gaza have been struck, and more than 250 militants have been eliminated since the resumption of the fighting.” He continued, stating: “We are operating under a gradual, variable-intensity plan. The only factor that could halt our progress is the release of our hostages,” despite reports that Israeli forces have killed many of the Israeli captives in Gaza.
In related news, the United Nations Security Council convened a special session on Thursday evening to discuss the escalating Israeli onslaught on the Palestinian people. The session was held under the agenda item addressing the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.
Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that Israel’s blockade on Gaza could amount to using starvation as a method of warfare.
He expressed shock over the recent killings of 15 medical and humanitarian workers in Gaza, saying it raises further concerns about the Israeli army committing war crimes.
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Türk called for an independent, swift, and comprehensive investigation, emphasizing the importance of holding those responsible for violations of international law accountable.
In his briefing to the Security Council, Türk remarked, “The Israeli army continues to bomb camps hosting people who have been displaced multiple times and have no safe place to go,” adding that “Israeli evacuation orders fail to comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law.”
He stated that the ongoing blockade on Gaza over the past month constitutes collective punishment and may reach the level of using starvation as a method of warfare.
Türk highlighted the severe impact of restrictions on humanitarian aid and vital supplies, including food, water, electricity, fuel, and medicine, which are affecting Gaza’s entire population. He warned, “We are witnessing a return to the societal collapse that preceded the ceasefire.”
Türk also expressed alarm over the inflammatory rhetoric by senior Israeli officials advocating for the seizure, annexation, and division of territories, as well as the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
He noted that such rhetoric raises serious concerns about the commission of international crimes and violates the fundamental principle of international law prohibiting the acquisition of territory by force.
Regarding the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Türk voiced deep concern about the displacement of more than 40,000 Palestinians and the destruction of entire refugee camps.
Meanwhile, he noted that illegal settlement expansion continues unabated, with some Israeli ministers calling for “Israeli sovereignty” over occupied territories.
In addition, Türk urged an immediate return to a ceasefire and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid across Gaza and warned of a “growing and grave risk of atrocity crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
He concluded by stating, “Under the Geneva Conventions, states are obligated to act when serious violations of international humanitarian law occur. Similarly, under the Genocide Convention, state parties bear responsibility to act to prevent such crimes when the risk becomes evident.”
Türk added, “Israel must refrain from any actions that amount to the forced transfer of Gaza’s population.”
On his part, the chief of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Younis Al-Khatib, stated, “Attacks on aid workers must stop, and perpetrators must be held accountable.”
He emphasized the urgent need for the Security Council to do everything within its power to protect the dedicated volunteers and staff whose primary mission is to save lives during the darkest times of conflict and human suffering.
Al-Khatib added, “Many Council members have called for a comprehensive and independent investigation, and we echo this call, believing it to be the minimum requirement that the Security Council and the international community should demand to ensure accountability.”
He highlighted that this is not the first instance where aid workers affiliated with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the United Nations, and other organizations have been killed while carrying out their life-saving missions.
“We lost 30 colleagues before this tragic incident. We have documented all violations against the Palestinian Red Crescent teams, facilities, and missions and shared them with our partners and member states,” Al-Khatib explained.
He pointed out that the Israeli occupation authorities have resumed killings and imposed a complete closure on Gaza, including a total blockade on all aid over the past month. This has deprived two million people in Gaza of food, water, medicine, shelter, electricity, and has exacerbated the psychological trauma they have endured for 18 months, describing it as an Israeli strategy of collective punishment—a severe violation of international humanitarian law.
Al-Khatib urged the Council to support the call for a thorough, independent investigation into the killing of aid workers and paramedics and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
He appealed to Council members, both individually and collectively, to take necessary actions to uphold international humanitarian law and activate the mechanisms and tools available to member states to protect humanitarian workers and aid delivery and to end impunity.
Additionally, he called on the Security Council and the entire international community to spare no effort in restoring a ceasefire, resuming the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid, and reopening border crossings.
Medical sources in Gaza reported that Israeli missiles and shells killed at least 112 Palestinians and injured dozens more, mostly children and women, in various parts of the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
They added that the death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip had risen to at least 50,523, including at least 15,617 children and 9,802 women, with 114,776 injuries, largely children and women, recorded since October 7, 2023.
