GAZA: The health ministry in Gaza reported on Thursday at least 38,345 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ongoing Israeli bombardment campaign in Gaza since October 7 last year.
The health ministry in Gaza said that over 50 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours, adding that 88,295 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since October 7.
Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes continued to pound Gaza City on Thursday, targeting various parts of the densely populated urban center. Israel’s military has said that its operation in an eastern district of Gaza City, Shujaiya, has ended. Shujaiya witnessed some of the most intense combat in recent months.
Meanwhile, international mediators, including Qatar, Egypt and the United States, continued efforts towards negotiating a truce and the release of hostages in talks held in Doha.
Despite these diplomatic initiatives, Israeli tanks and troops continued offensives in different areas of Gaza City. Witnesses describe scenes of explosions, artillery shelling, and gunfire echoing across the city, accompanied by rising clouds of smoke.
According to Palestinian sources, 45 air strikes targeted Gaza City and Rafah, in the south, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated the war’s intense phase was nearing conclusion. However, the situation on the ground remains dire, with widespread destruction evident in areas like Shujaiya, where entire residential units and businesses lay in ruins.
Images from the aftermath depict a scene of devastation, with demolished buildings and scattered rubble. Mohammed Nairi, a resident of Shujaiya, lamented the overwhelming destruction, describing it as beyond comprehension, while displaced Palestinians spoke of returning to find their neighborhoods decimated.
Meanwhile, humanitarian concerns are mounting in Gaza. The United Nations has warned that Wednesday’s evacuations prompted by Israeli leaflet drops, urging Palestinian residents to flee combat zones, will exacerbate the plight of Palestinian families already facing critical levels of need due to displacement and ongoing violence.
In response to the military operations, Hamas official Hossam Badran accused Israel of seeking to pressure the resistance movement into conceding legitimate demands in truce negotiations. He asserted that continued attacks only reinforce their determination to uphold these demands.
Meanwhile, international diplomatic efforts continue, with an Israeli delegation led by spy chief David Barnea in Qatar for talks aimed at achieving a ceasefire. CIA director William Burns is also engaged in diplomatic maneuvers, following discussions in Cairo earlier this week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to a proposed truce plan, emphasizing Israel’s insistence on maintaining its “red lines.” This stance comes amidst Israeli military actions targeting facilities such as the former UNRWA headquarters.
The UNRWA building, no longer under the agency’s control since October, has become a focal point of the latest Israeli military operations, further complicating efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis gripping Gaza.
