Israel continued its relentless attacks on Rafah despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering it to end the military operation there, and numerous deaths were reported in central and northern Gaza, which were subjected to further attacks.
The Shaboura camp and areas near Kuwait’s Rafah hospital were targeted on Saturday, said Tel Aviv Tribune’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah. Several people injured in the bombing were taken to hospital, he said.
The hospital renewed its call for fuel deliveries “to ensure the continuity of its operation,” saying it was the only one in Rafah governorate still receiving patients.
The ICJ ruling, the third of its kind this year, ordered Israel to suspend its offensive, citing an “immense risk” to the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees in Rafah, the southernmost part of Gaza. More than 800,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee Rafah since Israel launched the current offensive on May 7.
The U.N.’s top court seeks to curb rising Palestinian death toll since October, while easing a lingering humanitarian crisis stemming from internal displacement and severe famine affecting most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents . Nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed and large areas of Gaza have been razed by Israeli bombardments.
Israel has given no indication it is preparing to change course, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticizing the ICJ’s decision, calling South Africa’s accusations of genocide “false, scandalous and morally repugnant.” .
The UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories on Saturday called for sanctions against Israel for defying the court.
“Be assured: Israel will not stop this madness until WE put an end to it. Member states must impose sanctions, an arms embargo and suspend diplomatic/political relations with Israel until it stops its attacks,” Francesca Albanese posted on X.
Attacks intensify in northern Gaza
Israel also struck a school housing displaced people in Gaza’s As-Saftawi neighborhood in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to Tel Aviv Tribune journalists on the scene, citing medical sources.
The Palestinian Wafa news agency confirmed that at least 10 people were killed and 17 others injured in the series of attacks on the neighborhood just south of Jabalia.
Israeli forces intensified their attacks on the Jabalia camp on Saturday, causing already displaced people to flee the area again.
Israeli warplanes also bombed a house in another northern Gaza town, Beit Hanoon, killing 10 people, including women and children, according to Wafa.
In Gaza City, an Israeli attack targeting a family home in the Sabra neighborhood killed a woman and injured others. An unknown number of people were also reported killed by an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in the Daraj neighborhood, according to Wafa.
Other areas of Gaza City, including Sheikh Ajlin, Tal al-Hawa and Zeitoun, were also targeted by heavy artillery shelling, Wafa added, but there were no immediate details on casualties. .
As casualties continue to mount in northern Gaza, Israeli troops continue to surround Kamal Adwan Hospital, according to Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, head of the pediatrics department.
He said the hospital was unable to treat new patients due to the continued siege. Some patients and premature babies are still inside the hospital, he added.
Abu Safiya said he contacted the Red Cross and UNICEF but received no assurance that anything would be done to end the Israeli siege of the hospital.
Deaths in Wadi Gaza
Meanwhile, Israeli quadcopters also fired on Palestinians gathered in Wadi Gaza, killing at least six people, according to Tel Aviv Tribune’s Mahmoud.
Palestinians in desperate need of aid often gather in Wadi Gaza to try to reach aid trucks coming from the floating jetty near Gaza City. Part of the US-built floating pier was washed away, according to videos shared on social media on Saturday.
Also in central Gaza, an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed at least four people.
Israeli troops also took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, further slowing sporadic aid deliveries to Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. Earlier this week, the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) announced it would suspend food distribution in Rafah, citing lack of supplies and insecurity in the densely populated city.
On Friday, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said on social network X that the situation had reached “a moment of clarity”.
“As the people of Gaza face famine… it is more crucial than ever to heed the calls made over the past seven months to release the hostages. Agree to a ceasefire. End this nightmare.
