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18 Dead in Israeli Airstrike on Gaza Amid Increased Evacuations Ordered
An Israeli airstrike in Gaza tragically resulted in the death of at least 18 individuals, all members of the same family, on Saturday. This attack occurred just hours after there was optimism expressed regarding a potential cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which has been embroiled in conflict for over ten months.
The airstrike targeted a house along with an adjacent warehouse that was sheltering displaced individuals at the entrance of the town of Zawaida. This information was confirmed by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where many of the victims were taken. An Associated Press reporter present at the scene counted the deceased.
Among the victims was Sami Jawad al-Ejlah, a wholesaler who had coordinated with the Israeli military to supply meat and fish to the region. Including Sami, the deceased comprised his two wives, 11 children aged between 2 and 22, their grandmother, and three other relatives, as detailed by the hospital.
In response to the attack, the Israeli military, which typically refrains from commenting on specific strikes, noted that they had targeted “terrorist infrastructure” in central Gaza, claiming these locations had been used to launch rockets at Israel in previous weeks. They emphasized that operations against militants in central Gaza would continue.
Simultaneously, another Israeli strike in southern Lebanon resulted in the deaths of at least ten Syrians, including a woman and her two children. According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israel stated their objective was to strike a Hezbollah weapons depot.
In central Gaza, Israeli authorities ordered another mass evacuation. Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced through a social media post that residents in areas surrounding the Maghazi refugee camp should leave, citing ongoing Palestinian rocket attacks.
“The suffering began the day we left our homes,” expressed Ahmad Omrani, a resident affected by the evacuation order. He described the chaos of families moving through the debris-laden streets with heavily laden vehicles, bicycles, and donkey carts. “We live in constant fear and anxiety, particularly for our children playing outside. There’s no peace in sleeping, sitting, or eating,” he lamented.
The vast majority of Gaza’s population has suffered displacement multiple times, with approximately 84% of the territory currently under evacuation orders, as reported by the United Nations.
This ongoing war erupted on October 7, when Hamas-led militants launched an attack across the border, killing approximately 1,200 individuals, predominantly civilians, and taking around 250 hostages back to Gaza. Although more than 100 hostages were released in a cease-fire declared in November, tensions persist.
According to Israeli statements, over 17,000 Hamas militants have been killed during the conflict, though no concrete evidence has been provided to support this claim. Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that at least 40,074 Palestinian lives have been lost since the onset of the war, though these figures do not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the military reported strikes on what they referred to as a “terrorist cell” in Jenin. The local health ministry confirmed the retrieval of two bodies, which Hamas claimed belonged to their military wing’s commanders.
Source: Associated Press
