By Gaza Strip, July 2024 – Intense clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas-led fighters erupted across various parts of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Palestinian health officials reported that at least 57 people were killed in Israeli bombardments targeting southern and central areas of Gaza.
Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic militant group, has accused Israel of intensifying its attacks in an effort to derail ongoing ceasefire talks mediated by Arab countries and the United States. Israel, however, maintains that its actions are aimed at rooting out Hamas fighters.
In Rafah, a southern border city where Israeli forces have been operating since May, five Palestinians were killed in an airstrike on a house, according to Gaza health officials. In nearby Khan Younis, a man, his wife, and two children were reportedly killed.
Later on Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike on a car resulted in the deaths of at least 17 Palestinians and injuries to 26 others in Khan Younis, located in southern Gaza, officials said. The airstrike targeted a tented area housing displaced families in Attar Street in the humanitarian-designated area of Al-Mawasi, as confirmed by the health ministry.
The Israeli military stated that the strike was aimed at a senior militant of the Islamic Jihad group, an ally of Hamas. “We are looking into the reports stating that several civilians were injured as a result of the strike,” the military statement read.
Eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene, with rescuers carrying bodies of the dead and wounded on donkey carts and in rickshaws to nearby hospitals. “The car was hit, the blood was splashing, and shrapnel hit our tents and houses,” one witness said. “We screamed: ‘We need an ambulance.’ We put the injured in donkey carts and took them to the hospital. It took us a while,” they added.
The escalating violence has sparked urgent calls for international intervention to prevent further casualties and to revive the stalled ceasefire negotiations.
