The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Gaza, Palestine | Xinhua | The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has reached 9,488 on Saturday, as the Israel-Hamas conflict that started four weeks ago shows no sign of ending, according to the Gaza-bases Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, 24,000 others were wounded in the Palestinian enclave, said ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra.
At least six Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks in the al-Nusairat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to the ministry, adding four Palestinians were killed in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, and one in a house west of Gaza City.
“On Saturday, the Israeli warplanes launched intensive raids on the neighborhoods of Al-Nasr, Sheikh Radwan, and Al-Shati Camp, west of Gaza City, and in Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun in the northern Strip,” a Palestinian security source who wished to remain anonymous told Xinhua.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli fighter jets attacked Al-Naser Hospital, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians, most of whom were displaced people in the street, according to the ministry.
“The bodies of the victims were scattered on the ground … a real tragedy for the displaced people who tried to escape death,” a local eyewitness told Xinhua.
Al-Naser Hospital’s attack came a day after a similar incident took place in front of the Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in Gaza, which left more than 13 dead people and a number of others wounded.
The Israeli army claimed on Friday that it had attacked the ambulance which was being used by Hamas fighters.
Moreover, several Israeli airstrikes targeted solar energy sources in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital and Al-Quds Hospital on Friday, causing a major fire in the two hospitals and putting the generators out of service, according to Salama Maarouf, the head of the government media office in Gaza.
Palestinian security sources and locals said on Saturday that sounds of clashes and explosions continued to be heard in several areas south, north, and west of Gaza City as the Israeli army forces advanced on the ground for the second week in a row.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, published a video clip on Friday showing its fighters damaging a number of Israeli tanks in the south of Gaza City and areas in the northern Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army confirmed the continuation of the ground attack on Gaza. Avichai Adraee, an Israeli army spokesman, said Israeli forces operated for hours Friday night in the northern Gaza Strip.
“During last night’s fighting, our forces clashed with 15 armed men in the northern Gaza Strip. The forces eliminated a number of them and directed tanks to destroy three Hamas reconnaissance sites,” he said.
About 260 wounded soldiers were transferred to hospitals in Israel on Friday, as part of 150 air and ground rescue operations, according to Adraee.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Friday that the ground operation in Gaza was expected to continue for several more weeks and to advance deeper into Gaza City to control Hamas leadership sites and targets.
On Oct. 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, firing thousands of rockets and infiltrating Israeli territory, while Israel responded with airstrikes, ground operations and punitive measures that included a siege on the Gaza Strip.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has killed at least 1,400 Israelis, the vast majority in the Hamas attack on Oct. 7. ■
