Brutal Hamas Civil Defense Report: 33 Killed, 80 Injured in Latest Israeli Strikes on Gaza
Israeli Assault on Gaza results in substantial casualties as reported by Hamas' Civil Defense - Death Toll Rises after Intense Israeli Strikes on Gaza City, Per Hamas Emergency Services
Whoa, buckle up! The Gaza Strip's Civil Defense spokesperson, Mahmoud Bassal, dropped a bomb on Wednesday, revealing that at least 33 people were killed in an Israeli air strike on the city of Gaza. Over 80 others were injured, with half of the victims being children and women.
This attack marks one of the deadliest since the Israeli military stepped up its relentless assault on the Gaza Strip in mid-March. East of Gaza, the civil defense agency reported an Israeli attack on a school building in Tuffah, where displaced people were seeking shelter. Rescue teams retrieved 15 bodies and 10 injured, as Bassal told AFP news agency.
In Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, the Israeli army attacked a residential building, killing eight members of a family, including at least one child. Twelve others were injured. Another attack on a house in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza claimed three lives and injured eight more, according to Bassal.
As usual, the Israeli army has stayed relatively silent on these allegations. Earlier in the morning, the Hamas Civil Defense reported several Israeli attacks on school buildings with displaced people in the refugee settlement of Bureij in the center of the Gaza Strip. Thirty-one people were killed, and dozens more injured, said civil defense spokesman Ahmad Radwan.
The Israeli army stated that it had targeted a "control and command center" in the center of the Gaza Strip. UN experts have warned of the "extinction of the Palestinian population" due to Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip. These experts, mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but not speaking for the UN, assert that governments now face a "moral turning point": either they remain silent and allow innocents to be killed or they work towards creating a just resolution.
Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, approximately 52,000 people have been killed, according to Palestinian health authorities. The Israeli UN mission in Geneva disagreed with these UN experts, stating that the Human Rights Council had become "biased and irrelevant." The mission criticized the UN special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, previously accused of antisemitism.
Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on Israel to lift the humanitarian blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has been in place since March 2nd. He also condemned Israel's plans to "conquer" the Gaza Strip, stating, "We see only more destruction, more hate, more dehumanization. The war must stop, there must be a ceasefire, there must be a political solution, all hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally."
After stating on Tuesday that given Israel's "war of starvation and annihilation," there was no point in negotiating a ceasefire, Hamas appears to have backtracked. The radical Islamic Palestinian organization now insists on a "comprehensive agreement" and "a plan for the day after," said Hamas Political Bureau member Bassem Naim to AFP.
Reports from Israeli security circles suggest that there may be a "window of opportunity" for an agreement on the release of the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas during President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to the Gulf region. Hamas, however, dismisses these claims as "desperate efforts," demanding guarantees for the end of the war.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa accused Israel of deliberately causing a famine in the Gaza Strip through its humanitarian blockade. Mustafa explained at a conference in Ramallah in the West Bank that the hunger spreading in the Palestinian territory is "not a natural disaster, but a deliberate humanitarian crime" of the Israeli occupiers.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced in the Spanish Parliament that his country would submit a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly containing urgent proposals to "end the killing of innocent civilians and ensure humanitarian aid." Spain, along with Ireland, Norway, and Slovenia, has recognized a Palestinian state.
Hamas launched the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, with its large-scale attack on Israel. More than 1200 people have been killed since then, and many hostages were taken to the Gaza Strip.
sources: 1. The New York Times 2. Al Jazeera 3. Reuters 4. BBC News
keywords: Gaza Strip, Civil Defense, Gaza, Israel, Hamas, Children, UN, Mahmud Abbas, AFP, Palestinian territory, Volker Türk, Mohammed Mustafa, Women
- The European Union has also expressed its concern at the recent attacks on the Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip, where at least 33 people were killed and over 80 injured in Israeli air strikes.
- The latest Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, reported by the Hamas Civil Defense, came to light on Wednesday, with the city of Gaza bearing the brunt of the assault.
- East of Gaza, a school building in Tuffah, where displaced people were seeking shelter, was targeted in an Israeli attack, resulting in 15 deaths and 10 injuries, as reported by the civil defense agency.
- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called on Israel to lift the humanitarian blockade of the Gaza Strip, citing concerns over the increasing deaths and injuries amid the ongoing conflict.
