Photos taken at the scene by a Portal photographer show destroyed buildings and bodies being pulled from the rubble. A large impact crater can be seen surrounded by concrete and steel debris from the collapsed buildings scattered throughout. Dozens of people search for survivors in the rubble. An image shows a body being pulled from the rubble of a building with its face covered.
Dead after explosion in refugee camp in Gaza
According to the BBC, there was an explosion in the Jabaliya refugee camp, in the north of the Gaza Strip, which left several people dead and injured.
The BBC quoted a resident of the affected area as saying it felt like “an earthquake”. Hamas spoke about the Israeli bombing, which has not yet been independently confirmed. There has also been no statement from the Israeli side so far. According to the Ministry of Health, controlled by the terrorist organization, at least 50 people were killed. Another 150 people were injured. This information cannot be independently verified or confirmed.
Portal/Anas al-Shareef Massive destruction in Jabaliya refugee camp
The Jabaliya camp, located north of Gaza City, is the largest of the eight refugee camps in the Gaza Strip. As of July 2023, just over 116,000 Palestinian refugees have been registered there by the UN. It is a small but densely populated area, covering just 1.4 square kilometers and made up mostly of residential buildings. Along with the al-Shati refugee camp, Jabaliya is located in an area that Israel has declared an evacuation zone.
Israeli army reports “intense fighting”
At the same time, the Israeli army’s offensive continues to focus on the northern part of the Gaza Strip, which military spokesman Jonathan Conricus described on Tuesday morning as “Hamas’ center of gravity.” In the fight against Hamas, however, they continue to attack “in all parts of the Gaza Strip”. Hamas also reported fighting at several points around Gaza City on Tuesday, but the Israeli army did not provide any information on the exact locations – what was reported was “fierce fighting” deep inside Gaza.
There is no ceasefire in Gaza
With the words “now is the time for war”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Israel: Attack Tunnels in Gaza
“We pursue their commanders, we attack their infrastructure and whenever there is an important target, we attack,” the military spokesman said, citing the BBC. Conricus also reiterated Israel’s accusation that Hamas is using civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip as hideouts and civilians as shields. Specifically, he referred to Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in Gaza City.
The Israeli army says it is now focused on Hamas’ tunnel systems in the Gaza Strip. An estimated 300 targets were attacked over the past day, including rocket launch pads and other military installations belonging to the “terrorist organization Hamas,” the Israeli military said on Tuesday.
Graphics: APA/ORF; Source: New York Times/IDF
Hamas announces imminent release of foreign hostages
Meanwhile, Hamas’ armed wing announced on Tuesday the imminent release of several foreign hostages. “We have informed the mediators that we will release a certain number of foreigners in the coming days,” Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida said in a televised speech. Hamas fighters took around 240 hostages during their attack on Israel on October 7. The Palestinian militant organization has so far freed four hostages, and a kidnapped female soldier was freed by the army on Monday.
Yemeni Houthis claim attack
Just hours earlier, Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels said they had attacked areas in Israel. A large number of drones and “a large payload” of missiles were fired at “various Israeli enemy targets,” the Iran-backed rebels said in a statement on Tuesday.
A spokesperson said in the statement published by the Houthi-affiliated SABA news website that “this is the third operation” in support of the Palestinians and that they (the Houthi rebels) will continue to “carry out rocket and drone attacks until aggression Israeli”. ends.” ends.” According to the Israeli army, anti-missile defenses had already intercepted a surface-to-surface missile “from the Red Sea area” outside Israel.
New attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon
Israel also reported repeated attacks on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon on Tuesday. Warplanes attacked the “terrorist infrastructure” of the Shiite Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army said on Tuesday night. Targets included Hezbollah weapons and positions.
debate
Middle East: How to break the spiral of violence?
According to the army, rockets were fired from Lebanon at Israel in the previous days. There has been fighting on the Israeli-Lebanese border since the start of the war in Gaza. There have been deaths on both sides. Hezbollah has links to the Islamist group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip.
WHO warns of “health catastrophe”
At the same time, the situation of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip is dramatic. The World Health Organization (WHO) said there was a threat of a “public health catastrophe”. There is a risk of deaths that are not directly related to the bombing.
“It is an imminent public health disaster caused by mass displacement, living in confined spaces and damage to water and sanitation infrastructure,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said on Tuesday. Estimates suggest that at least 800,000 people fled south. People would also die from these conditions.
WHO sounds the alarm
The World Health Organization (WHO) is sounding the alarm about the situation in the Gaza Strip. An imminent “public health catastrophe” is emerging, caused by mass displacement and damage to water and sanitation infrastructure.
UNICEF: Babies are at risk of dehydration
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned of the risk of child deaths due to dehydration, as water production is only five percent of normal levels. “Child deaths due to dehydration, especially infant mortality due to dehydration, therefore represent a growing threat,” said UNICEF spokesperson James Elder. Children would also get sick from drinking salt water.
Portal/Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa Animal-drawn carts transport water from a desalination plant
UNICEF spokesperson warned of mass deaths of children. The Palestinian territory has already become a “children’s cemetery” and the situation could worsen in the future, Elder said. Without the delivery of water, medicine and food and without “the release of kidnapped children” the horror will continue to increase. Without better access to humanitarian aid, the current number of victims could soon be “just the tip of an iceberg”.
ORF Cupal correspondent on the humanitarian situation in Gaza
ORF correspondent Tim Cupal reports, among other things, on upcoming humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza.
Large aid convoy could soon pass through Rafah
WHO spokesperson Lindmeier called for the authorization of fuel entry into the Gaza Strip to allow desalination plants to operate. Israel has blockaded the Gaza Strip and refuses to allow the shipment of fuel, claiming that it could be used by Hamas for military purposes. However, Israel announced that up to 100 trucks carrying aid supplies would soon be allowed to pass through the Rafah border. So far, a total of just over 140 trucks have crossed the border.
Ceasefire is currently not an option for Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at a press conference on Monday about “progress” in the fight against Hamas and categorically ruled out a ceasefire demanded by the UN, among others.
Netanyahu said that in every war there are unwanted civilian casualties. Israel did not start the war, but it will win it – the operation in the Gaza Strip is a struggle between “civilization and barbarism”. He called on allies to support Israel. For him, a ceasefire would be a “surrender to Hamas”.
Portal rescue work after airstrike
“Just as the United States would not have agreed to a ceasefire after the bombing of Pearl Harbor or the 9/11 terrorist attack, Israel will not agree to a halt to fighting with Hamas after the horrific attacks of October 7,” Netanyahu said on Monday. “Calls for Israel to agree to a ceasefire are calls to capitulate to Hamas, to terrorism, to barbarism. This will not happen.”
USA: “We do not support a ceasefire at this time”
The US deliberately does not want to join the increasingly loud international calls for a ceasefire. “We do not believe a ceasefire is the right response at this time,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday. “We do not support a ceasefire at this time,” Kirby said. Instead, “pauses” should be considered to bring aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
The US State Department, however, called on Israel to stop violence against Palestinians by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank. Measures must be taken to protect Palestinian residents. It was made clear to the Israeli government that the settlers’ attacks were unacceptable and that they must be held accountable.