Israeli airstrikes kill 14 Palestinians in Gaza, medical officials report

Photo : AP

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 14 people in Gaza, including two children and a woman, Palestinian medical officials reported. Most of the deaths occurred in an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone, an area where displaced Palestinians had been instructed to seek refuge. 

The first strike occurred late on Monday in Muwasi, a central area within the humanitarian zone, targeting a makeshift cafeteria used by displaced individuals. At least 11 people were killed, including two children. Casualties were brought to Nasser Hospital, where medical officials confirmed the deaths. Disturbing footage from the site showed men pulling injured survivors from the wreckage of the cafeteria, which had been set up in the sand and enclosed by corrugated metal sheets.

This attack took place just hours after the Israeli military expanded the humanitarian zone. Palestinians from other parts of Gaza, which have been heavily bombed, were told to move to areas like Muwasi for safety. However, the zone is largely barren, with little infrastructure or services to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of displaced people who have taken shelter in large tent camps along the Mediterranean coast of southern Gaza.

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Meanwhile, Israel faces pressure from the U.S. government, which has issued a deadline for the country to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza or risk potential restrictions on U.S. military aid. While Israel has announced a series of measures, including the expansion of the humanitarian zone, U.S. officials have expressed concerns that not enough is being done to alleviate the crisis. Recently, a coalition of eight international aid organizations criticized Israel for failing to meet U.S. demands to allow more aid into Gaza.

A second Israeli airstrike on Tuesday morning hit a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp, located in central Gaza. The strike killed three people, including a woman, and wounded 11 others, according to al-Awda Hospital, where the casualties were brought. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military regarding either of the strikes.

Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, now in its 13th month, has resulted in over 43,000 Palestinian deaths, according to local health authorities. While the official death toll includes both civilians and militants, over half of the casualties have been women and children. Israel has consistently stated that its military operations are aimed at Hamas militants, and it holds the group responsible for the deaths of civilians, claiming that Hamas operates out of civilian areas and uses them as human shields.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched an attack on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage. Many hostages remain in Gaza, with around a third believed to have died since the attack.