Escalating Violence in Gaza: Israeli Forces Target Schools and Hospitals Amid Humanitarian Crisis
On Monday, Israeli forces intensified their operations in the Jabalia area, reportedly attacking schools and besieging refugee camps, according to local residents and medical personnel. The Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia, one of three hospitals in northern Gaza, reported that Israeli soldiers stormed a school building adjacent to the hospital, detained several men, and subsequently set the building ablaze. The resulting fires allegedly jeopardized the hospital's generators, causing a power outage, as detailed by hospital staff.
The situation in Jabalia has become dire, with the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza announcing that 18 people lost their lives during these assaults. The BBC confirmed that seven of those fatalities were due to artillery fire when Israeli soldiers ordered the evacuation of a school building within the Jabalia refugee camp. An additional eight deaths were reported in various locations across Gaza due to the ongoing violence.
Medical personnel reported alarming conditions within northern Gaza's healthcare facilities. Nurse Hadeel Obeid from the Indonesian hospital stated, "The medications are running out, and soon there will be no sterile bandages left." The hospital, which is currently caring for 32 patients, faces total isolation as water access has been cut off and food supplies have dwindled after four days without provisions.
Images of Palestinians fleeing Gaza City illustrate the increasing desperation of those displaced from the Jabalia camp due to Israeli shelling.
A statement from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights characterized the Israeli army's actions as rendering life in northern Gaza unmanageable. The UN stresses that it has been impossible to access the three hospitals in the area and demands emergency aid delivery. Despite the Israeli army's calls for civilians to evacuate, the UN highlights that constant military bombardments hinder people's safe passage.
In response, Israel claims that substantial amounts of humanitarian aid are reaching Gaza through land and aerial deliveries, asserting that it has enabled patient evacuations from the Kamal Adwan hospital. The Israeli government contends that military infrastructure has been dismantled, and militants targeted in the Jabalia region. However, they have not addressed the pressing needs of the hospitals and adjacent refugee camps.
Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced plans to evacuate around a thousand women and children suffering from sickness or injuries from Gaza within the upcoming months, contingent upon an agreement with Israel. The WHO had previously indicated in May that at least 10,000 individuals required urgent evacuation from the territory.
As the conflict persists, the human toll continues to rise, and the urgency for humanitarian assistance becomes increasingly critical. Without comprehensive international intervention and aid access, the plight of those in Gaza remains precariously poised amid escalating violence.
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