The Israeli army has blamed the terrorist organization Islamic Jihad in Palestine for the deadly attack on a hospital complex in Gaza. “According to intelligence information based on various sources available to us, Islamic Jihad is responsible for a failed rocket attack that hit the hospital,” the army said in a statement. Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, had previously blamed Israel for the attack.
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An analysis showed that “terrorists in Gaza had already fired a load of rockets” that passed close to the affected hospital at the time of impact, the Israeli army said.
The local head of civil defense spoke on Al-Jazeera on Tuesday night about at least 300 people who died in the bombing of a clinic. According to the Ministry of Health, at least 500 people died or were injured. Both authorities are under the Hamas-led government.
Six dead after bombing of UN school
Earlier, an Israeli airstrike on the al-Maghasi refugee camp in Gaza hit a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). At least six people were killed. UNRWA announced this via Twitter (X). Dozens of people were injured – including aid workers. Severe damage was caused to the school.
“This is outrageous and once again shows a blatant disregard for civilian lives,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. Nowhere in the Gaza Strip is safer. “Not even UNRWA facilities.” According to the humanitarian agency, at least 4,000 refugees are staying at the affected school. According to information, it is located in the center of the narrow coastal strip.
Senior Hamas commander killed
Senior Hamas commander Ayman Nofal was previously killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip. The announcement was made by the terrorist organization’s military wing, the Al-Kassam Brigades. In the evening, the Israeli Air Force also confirmed Nofal’s death. He was behind numerous terrorist attacks and selected targets for Hamas rocket attacks — “especially areas inhabited by uninvolved civilians,” he said.
About ten days after the start of the war between Hamas and Israel, the death toll in the Gaza Strip rose to 3,000. Around 12,500 more people were injured, the Hamas Health Ministry said today. 1,400 deaths are recorded in Israel and, according to Israeli data, up to 250 people were kidnapped.
Guterres travels to Egypt
Taking into account the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, travels to the Middle East. According to the Financial Times, Guterres is expected tomorrow in Egypt, where, according to the British newspaper, he will meet with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Israel’s blockade of Gaza and evacuation order from the north may violate international law, according to the UN.
“We are concerned that this order, together with the imposition of a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, cannot be considered a legal temporary evacuation and would therefore amount to a forced relocation of civilians, in violation of international law,” the office of UN human rights. said today. The term “forced displacement” refers to the civilian population and is a crime against humanity punishable by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
UN Human Rights Office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani also said that Israel appears to have made no effort to ensure that the affected civilian population receives adequate housing, adequate food and hygiene, health and safety conditions.
Yesterday, Guterres demanded that Hamas release all hostages and that Israel allow the provision of aid to the Gaza Strip. The Middle East is “on the brink of the abyss”, warned Guterres.
UNRWA: Water shortage looms
UNRWA also warned of imminent water shortages for more than two million residents. The last operating salt water treatment plant was closed yesterday, UNRWA said today.
“Water continues to be a fundamental issue because without water people will start to die,” the statement said. Hospitals are “on the verge of collapse” due to a lack of electricity and now also fuel for generators, according to UNRWA. The lives of thousands of patients are in danger.
Israel: Hundreds of thousands still in the north
According to the Israeli military, several hundred thousand Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have not yet responded to calls for evacuation. As of yesterday evening, just over 600,000 people were estimated to have moved south of the isolated coastal strip, army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said today. “There are still a few hundred thousand who should leave,” he added.
According to estimates by the United Nations Office of Emergency Relief (OCHA), almost half of the Gaza Strip’s civilian population is now on the run. Around a million people left their homes last night, OCHA said overnight. They don’t have many refuge options because the coastal strip, which is only about 40 kilometers long, is completely isolated.
Russia and Iran warn Israel of an offensive
After Iran, Russia also warned Israel against a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. There is a risk of an expansion of the conflict with “terrible consequences for the entire region” and an even greater humanitarian catastrophe, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today, a day before US President Joe Biden’s visit. to Israel and Jordan. Russia advocates the creation of an independent Palestinian state, while supporting security guarantees for Israel.
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