The government office stated that the Israeli occupation army, in committing these massacres, focused on bombing "shelters and displacement centers crowded with tens of thousands of displaced persons, public rest areas, Palestinian families inside their homes, popular markets, and vital facilities." Additionally, it focused on "bombing and killing starving civilians as they searched for food," according to the statement.
The government office confirmed that "the majority of the martyrs were women and children, all of them unarmed civilians," which "reflects the occupation's deliberate targeting of the most vulnerable groups." It emphasized that these crimes coincide with Israeli attempts to "collapse what remains of the health system by bombing hospitals, targeting medical personnel, and preventing the entry of vital supplies."
For their part, medical sources in Gaza Strip hospitals reported that 116 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on several areas in the Strip since dawn on Wednesday, including 40 in Gaza City and 24 starving people waiting for aid. Eleven Palestinians were also killed in an Israeli bombardment of the Mustafa Hafez School, which houses displaced persons west of Gaza City, on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, an investigation by the British newspaper The Guardian revealed that the Israeli occupation army used a 500-pound bomb when it attacked the Al-Baqaa cafe on the Gaza beachfront last Monday, in a massacre that left 34 people dead and dozens more injured.
The investigation stated that the bomb used was an indiscriminate weapon, causing a massive blast wave and scattering shrapnel over a wide area. Legal experts confirmed to the newspaper that the large crater left by the explosion was evidence of the use of a large and powerful bomb such as the MK-82.The newspaper noted that the use of such munitions is likely illegal and may constitute a war crime.
Forced displacement of 80,000
The United Nations reported that Israel has issued a new order for "forced displacement" in neighborhoods inhabited by 80,000 people in Khan Yunis.
"About 85 percent of Gaza's territory is currently under displacement orders or located within military zones, seriously impeding people's access to essential humanitarian support and the ability of aid workers to reach those in need," Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Dujarric reported that approximately 714,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced once or more than once in Gaza since the ceasefire collapsed last March. He noted that despite the presence of hundreds of thousands of newly displaced people, no shelter assistance has been allowed into Gaza for four months. He explained that surveys conducted by UN partners indicated that 97% of the displaced are sleeping in open areas.
For its part, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that approximately 85% of Gaza's territory is currently subject to displacement orders or falls within military zones.
The UN office said that the main water distribution center in Khan Yunis is out of reach due to a displacement order, noting that any damage to the tank could lead to the collapse of the city's main water distribution system. The office emphasized that the displacement orders continue to place significant pressure on vital services in Gaza and are increasingly pushing people into smaller areas of Gaza.
In a related development, the Israeli occupation army warned Palestinians in five residential areas in the al-Tuffah and al-Daraj neighborhoods, as well as the Old City in eastern Gaza City, on Wednesday evening to evacuate immediately, claiming they were a "dangerous combat zone." The army vowed to expand its military operation to reach the city center.
"To all those present in the Gaza City area, in the neighborhoods of al-Tuffah and al-Daraj, and the Old City, in blocks 602, 699, 715, 716, and 717..., evacuate immediately south to the Mawasi area," army spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement. This came hours after the army announced that it had intercepted two rockets fired from the northern Gaza Strip toward adjacent settlements, triggering air raid sirens.
Over the past period, the Israeli army has intensified its targeting of shelters, Palestinian homes, displaced persons' tents, and civilian gatherings on public streets, resulting in deaths and injuries.
For nearly 22 months, Israel, with unconditional American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving more than 191,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women. Over 11,000 are missing, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. This brutal humanitarian situation is epitomized by the loss of doctors who dedicated their lives to saving others.
