Israeli forces ramp up north Gaza assault kill more civilians

Israeli forces ramp up north Gaza assault, kill more civilians

Dozens of more Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, including in Jabalia in the north where the Israeli military launched an offensive nearly two weeks ago.

At least 55 people were killed in the past 24 hours in the enclave, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said on Tuesday, with at least 12 bodies recovered after an Israeli attack near al-Faluja in the besieged Jabalia refugee camp, Al Jazeera reported. 

Mahmoud Basal, the spokesman for the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza, said seven of those killed belonged to the al-Sayed family. He said their bodies were buried in their family home.

The other five bodies were recovered from the streets of the neighborhood, said Basal.

In a separate incident, Israeli forces attacked the Birkat Abu Rashid area of the camp, killing at least three people and wounding several others.

In the aftermath of the air attack, rescuers were seen frantically helping survivors exit from a heavily damaged building, with one man carrying an injured child.

Residents told Al Jazeera that troops are planting explosives-filled barrels into the ground in al-Faluja to destroy buildings and homes.

The attack on Jabalia follows Israeli orders to fully evacuate northern Gaza, including Gaza City. An estimated 400,000 Palestinians remain in the north, according to United Nations estimates.

The UN’s human rights office said on Tuesday the Israeli military appeared to be “cutting off North Gaza completely from the rest of the Gaza Strip”.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said, “Amid intense ongoing hostilities and evacuation orders in northern Gaza, families are facing unimaginable fear, loss of loved ones, confusion, and exhaustion. People must be able to flee safely, without facing further danger.”

Israel remains accused of trying to ethnically cleanse north Gaza. 

source: tehrantimes.com