Israel continued its military push through Gaza, with heavy urban fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in the Jabalia camp, north of the southern city of Rafah, which borders Egypt.
In the now largely destroyed northern district of Jabalia, residents said Israeli tanks had destroyed groups of houses but faced strong resistance on Wednesday from fighters from the Palestinian group Hamas, which governs Gaza, and the armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
“They are bombing houses on top of their inhabitants,” Abu Jehad said.
The PIJ claimed to have killed some Israeli soldiers in Jabalia, while the Israeli army said it had eliminated many fighters in the area.
Israel returned its troops to areas of northern Gaza earlier this week after claiming to have defeated Hamas there months ago.
The Israeli army ordered further evacuations of the al-Manshiya and Sheikh Zayyed neighborhoods in northern Gaza. The United Nations estimates that around 100,000 people have been forcibly expelled from the north in recent days.
In Gaza City, several people were killed after Israeli forces struck a group of Palestinians at the intersection of Jalaa and al-Oyoun streets, the official Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.
At least three bodies arrived at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, along with a number of critical cases, Wafa said.
The death toll from the attack, which targeted a gathering point to access the internet, is expected to rise, according to Tel Aviv Tribune’s Hani Mahmoud.
“This is not the first time that we have seen this type of attack on civilians gathered in large groups, whether during a food distribution or internet connection points, or even against a power point. “solar energy to charge their phones or computers,” Mahmoud said.
Palestinian health officials said at least 82 Palestinians had been killed in the previous 24 hours.
“Vengeful” attacks
Hamas denounced attacks on civilians across the Gaza Strip, calling them “fascist and vengeful” acts that reflect the “defeated” state of the Israeli army.
In Rafah, Israeli tanks have massed around the eastern outskirts of Rafah and in recent days have probed the built-up areas of the city, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have sought refuge from bombardments elsewhere in the strip. Gaza.
Residents said Israeli forces had entered three neighborhoods and Palestinian fighters were trying to prevent soldiers and tanks from moving toward the center.
Aid groups including the International Rescue Committee (IRC) have warned they will face significant disruption to their humanitarian operations as the Israeli army enters the city to carry out its widely criticized ground offensive.
“I recently returned from Gaza, where the scale of the crisis is beyond imagination. Facilities in southern Gaza have been transformed into makeshift shelters spilling out onto the streets,” said Kiryn Lanning, IRC team leader for the occupied Palestinian territory.
“This displaced population now faces severe shortages of basic necessities such as food, water and adequate sanitation,” Lanning added.
Last week, after the Israeli army seized and closed the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt – a vital entry point for humanitarian aid – the agency of the United Nations for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, warned that hospitals in southern Gaza had only a few days of fuel left to carry out their operations, and that the entry of fuel into the Strip Gaza was essential to prevent more deaths.
Sporadic truck deliveries of aid to Gaza have slowed since Israeli forces took control of the Gaza side of the crossing on May 7.
A convoy carrying humanitarian aid was ransacked by far-right Israelis on Monday after crossing the border into Jordan via the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was “no humanitarian catastrophe” in Rafah, where around 450,000 people have been driven from their shelters since last week, according to the UN.
As fighting intensifies, ceasefire talks brokered by Qatar and Egypt have reached an impasse, with Hamas demanding a permanent end to attacks and Netanyahu’s government saying it will not stop not until the group is wiped out.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Israel to develop a clear plan for Gaza’s post-war future.
Netanyahu has opposed the creation of an independent Palestinian state, which most foreign powers view as the only long-term solution.
He said any move to establish an alternative to Hamas as Gaza’s government required that the Palestinian group be first eliminated, and demanded that this goal be pursued “without excuses.”
His remarks, in a video statement posted online, followed a public challenge from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who accused the government of avoiding serious discussion on a proposed post-war Palestinian administration without Hamas .
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh reiterated that the group rejects any post-war settlement that does not include Hamas.
“We are here to stay,” Haniyeh said in a statement Wednesday evening, adding that the group was sticking to its demands for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
