Smoke rises following Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza on Sunday. (Image: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images)
In a tragic development, Israeli airstrikes targeted the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Sunday, resulting in the loss of 90 Palestinian lives, according to a spokesperson for the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. The strikes also left dozens wounded, as reported by Hamas Aqsa radio, citing the director of the Health Ministry.
The situation in Jabalia has worsened, with the camp enduring tank, air, and naval bombardment. A medic on the ground, speaking anonymously due to fear of reprisal, described the harrowing conditions, stating that people are dying in the streets, and access to them is severely restricted due to the intensity of Israeli fire.
The Israeli military asserted that its actions were in response to finding weapons, including rocket launchers marked UNRWA (the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees), near a school in Jabalia. The military released a video purportedly showing explosive devices next to a bag marked UNRWA, although Reuters could not independently verify the footage.
While Israel had previously claimed to have achieved its military objectives against Hamas militants in northern Gaza, fighting has intensified amid the rubble. The military reported finding weapons and a tunnel used by militants in Shejaia, a suburb near Gaza City, and destroying a weapons storage facility in a Hamas operative's home.
The armed wing of Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian militant group, announced that its fighters targeted Israeli forces in Gaza City with mortar bombs. Medics in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza reported 12 Palestinians killed and dozens wounded.
In the south, residents in Khan Younis reported Israeli planes and tanks bombing and shelling, accompanied by the sound of rocket-propelled grenades, likely fired by Hamas. The Israeli military claimed to have killed seven "terrorists" in an airstrike on Khan Younis, discovering rocket manufacturing parts and three tunnel shafts near a school.
Amid the ongoing conflict, the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza opened for aid trucks on Sunday for the first time since the war began, aiming to double the amount of food and medicine reaching Gazans. However, aid agencies faced challenges in distributing deliveries amid the violence.
Al Shifa hospital in northern Gaza, the main health facility, faced dire conditions, lacking blood for transfusions and experiencing a shortage of staff. The World Health Organization (WHO) described the emergency department as a "bloodbath," with trauma injuries being treated on the floor due to limited resources.
Pope Francis expressed deep concern over the reported killing of two Christian women in a church complex in Gaza by the Israeli military. The Pope suggested that such actions constituted "terrorism" tactics, emphasizing the tragic toll on unarmed civilians.
As the conflict continues to unfold, the situation remains complex and challenging, with civilians caught in the crossfire and essential services, including healthcare, strained to their limits.
