Israel Commits Horrific Massacres in Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah

For the 281st consecutive day, the Israeli occupation has continued its aggression on the Gaza Strip, committing further horrific massacres that killed and wounded dozens of Palestinian civilians.

The Israeli occupation forces committed horrific massacres in Khan Younis, where heavy bombardment of the al-Mawasi area of the city killed dozens of civilians and wounded dozens of others, with reports indicating that the number of those killed is no less than 70. 

The total tally of the aggression is over 100 casualties so far, with reports coming in from Khan Younis saying that over an hour and a half into the aggression, martyrs are still being brought in to the Kuwaiti Hospital, as the Ministry of Health stressed that the whole of the Gaza Strip cannot bear this number of casualties due to the healthcare infrastructure being impaired by constant Israeli bombardment.

Dozens of bodies are still stuck under the rubble as first responders and rescue workers are attempting to reach all those murdered and wounded; most of the latter are critically injured, as reports coming in from the Kuwaiti hospital indicate. 

In the central Gaza Strip, five Palestinians, including three children, were killed Saturday following an Israeli airstrike on a home in Deir al-Balah. 

Additionally, at least ten Palestinians were injured in an airstrike targeting a house on al-Ashreen Street in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Another airstrike by the Israeli occupation forces hit the northern area of the camp.

In the southern Gaza Strip, two more civilians were killed and several others were injured in an air raid on Deir al-Balah. Furthermore, a man and his pregnant wife were killed after their home was bombed in the Qah al-Qurain area, east of Khan Younis.

Another Israeli airstrike targeted a house near the al-Tahrir station at the entrance to the large town of Abasan, also east of Khan Younis.

Israeli drones firing on civilians

In the north, Israeli drones opened fire at civilians in the southern Tell al-Hawa area, southwest of Gaza City. This attack coincided with artillery shelling on the southern Rimal neighborhood, west of the city.

The devastation left behind by the occupation forces was evident during a tour by Al Mayadeen correspondents in the industrial zone and Tell al-Hawa. Medical teams were observed continuing to recover the bodies of dozens of martyrs from the streets.

Israeli artillery also targeted the vicinity of the Moroccan junction and aviation in al-Thalathini Street in Gaza City.

On the humanitarian and health fronts, the Government Media Office in Gaza reported that approximately 71,000 cases of viral hepatitis infections have been recorded due to displacement since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza.

Read next: The Lancet estimates ‘Israel’ killed up to 186,000 Palestinians in war

The ongoing violence has resulted in the deaths of more than 38,345 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children, and injured over 88,295 others. These numbers are not final as thousands of victims remain buried under the rubble.

Thousands missing

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) suggested Friday that nearly 6,400 Palestinians are still missing in Gaza.

Many are thought to be stuck under the rubble, buried without being identified, or held in Israeli prisons, while others remain separated from their families, unable to make contact. Nearly 1,100 new missing persons cases have been recorded since April, according to the ICRC. Their status remains unsolved. 

Sarah Davies, an ICRC spokesperson, reported that every week there are 500 to 2,500 calls regarding missing persons, detailing that “in such chaotic situations, people can be separated easily. People are panicked, sometimes it is dark and difficult to see, if there are explosions nearby people flee and lose one another.”

She added that family members do not always know which ambulances transfer their injured family members or which hospitals they are transferred to. In other cases, people lose their phones, connections are disrupted, and sim cards are changed.

Furthermore, “Israel” has deliberately attacked hospitals and hindered efforts by medical professionals to register injuries and identify the deceased. The relentless aggression, along with mobility limitations and communication problems, has made it difficult to track and locate missing people. Furthermore, forensic and human rights specialists’ access has been limited, making it impossible to identify victims.