The Israeli military continues its siege of northern Gaza for the fifth consecutive day, killing hundreds and forcing thousands to flee. According to official reports, 125 Palestinians have been killed over the past five days.
Yesterday marked the fifth day of deadly attacks by the Israeli military on civilians in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
From the early hours of the morning, the Israeli army surrounded the entire area of Jabalia – which includes the city of Jabalia and the Jabalia refugee camp – stretching from the eastern part of Salah al-Din Road to the western part of the city. Only one exit from the Jabalia area was left open, with checkpoints set up through which people will pass over the next few days.
At midday, Israeli forces fired missiles at ten locations within Yemen’s Al-Saeed Hospital in Jabalia. This hospital had been rendered inoperative during the early months of the war and had been converted into a center for evacuating hundreds of displaced Palestinians whose homes and buildings had been completely destroyed.
Israeli forces are “targeting civilians and committing killings in the streets of northern Gaza,” especially in the Jabalia refugee camp, according to a statement from the Government Media Office in the besieged and bombarded territory.
The office warned the international community that the killing of 125 people over five days is a prelude for the Israeli military to “ethnically cleanse” Palestinians, particularly “amid global silence.”
“Dozens of bodies still lie in the streets, and emergency and Civil Defense teams have been unable to evacuate them because they were targeted by Israeli forces,” the statement said.
It also noted that the Israeli military forced people – many of whom were already displaced – to evacuate shelters, only to then target them, Klix.ba writes.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has released a new report detailing the devastating impact that the Israeli war in Gaza has had on children in the region.
They estimate that around 17.000 children are unaccompanied or separated from their parents and guardians, while the IRC believes that this number could be three times higher (51.000).
Frequent Israeli evacuation orders, detentions, and attacks have contributed to the separation of more families in Gaza in recent months. Some children have been found living alone in hospitals, according to the report.
The IRC states that unaccompanied children and those separated from their parents face high risks of child labor, exploitation, neglect, starvation, and long-term mental health effects.
IRC teams in Gaza are reporting increased rates of severe and acute malnutrition in children under the age of five.
Children in Gaza have now missed a year of schooling due to the collapse of the education system and the destruction of school buildings caused by Israeli bombing, the report said.
Bart Witteveen, the IRC’s Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory, stated that children bear the greatest burden of this war.
“Children in Gaza can no longer wait. Prolonged restrictions on humanitarian aid and the continuation of the fighting mean that a generation of children will now face lifelong health and developmental issues,” he said.
