RAFAH: Heavy Israeli bombardment shook Gaza’s southern city of Rafah on Saturday, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Since October 7 last year, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza that has killed at least 35,386 Palestinian people, mostly women and children, according to data provided by the territory’s health ministry. The toll includes at least 83 deaths over the past 24 hours, said a ministry statement on Saturday.
Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli air forces conducted airstrikes across multiple areas in the Gaza Strip, while ground troops continued operations in eastern Rafah. The relentless onslaught comes more than 10 days into what the Israeli military termed a “limited” operation in Rafah, prompting a mass exodus of Palestinians seeking shelter from the violence.
The Kuwaiti hospital confirmed an overnight Israeli strike resulted in the deaths of two Palestinians in a displacement camp in Rafah. Witnesses described scenes of heavy gunfire and shelling in the city’s southeast, with jets bombarding eastern areas. Additionally, there were reports of bombardment in the northern Jabalia refugee camp, marking some of the fiercest Israeli violence in the town since the onset of the seven-month-long conflict.
The Israeli incursion into Rafah, launched amidst overwhelming international opposition and amidst stalled truce talks, has further deteriorated the already dire humanitarian situation, according to aid groups. With key land crossings closed or operating at limited capacity due to the bombardment, relief supplies remain stalled. UN agencies and humanitarian aid groups emphasize that sea or air deliveries cannot adequately replace the efficiency of truck convoys, particularly in addressing the looming famine crisis in Gaza.
The European Union has called on Israel to expand deliveries by land and to immediately open additional crossings to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. However, the vital Rafah crossing, a lifeline for humanitarian assistance, has remained closed since the onset of the Israeli operation in Rafah early last week.
The escalating violence has prompted nearly 640,000 of the 1.4 million Palestinians who sought shelter in Rafah to flee to other areas, as reported by the UN humanitarian office. Palestinian sources in Rafah have also revealed Israeli forces’ operations in various neighborhoods, including Al-Salam and Jenina, as well as along the Philadelphi route bordering Egypt.
Meanwhile, concerns mount over the dwindling medical supplies and fuel reserves in Gaza’s hospitals. The Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahia, which has been overwhelmed with casualties from nearby Jabalia, is reportedly running low on essential resources, including medical supplies and fuel to power generators.
Cairo, which has been involved in mediation efforts during the war, says a potential Israeli takeover of Philadelphi could violate its landmark 1979 peace deal with Egypt.
In northern Gaza’s Beit Lahia, witnesses reported Israeli air strikes near Kamal Adwan hospital on Saturday. The hospital’s director Hussam Abu Safiya said on Friday that the facility, which has received “large numbers of injured and killed” from fighting in nearby Jabalia, was running low on medical supplies and fuel to power generators.
The fuel aid that had reached the hospital was “barely enough for a few days”, Abu Safiya said. The World Health Organization has received no medical supplies in Gaza since the Rafah operation began on May 6, spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said Friday.
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