The targeting of both Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and Al-Mufti School indicates that there are no safe spaces left in Gaza.
Israel carried out a heinous massacre against displaced Palestinians sheltering in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Sunday night.
Videos shared by activists and journalists captured harrowing scenes in the immediate aftermath of the bombing, which killed and wounded scores of Palestinians.
According to medical sources, the attack resulted in at least four fatalities, including a woman and a child, while about 40 others sustained serious injuries. Many of the victims suffered severe burns, with some bodies charred beyond recognition.
The bombing ignited a large fire that engulfed around 30 tents. Eyewitnesses reported that the fire spread quickly due to the tents being made of nylon and other highly flammable materials.
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Terrifying scenes as the Israeli army bombards displaced people’s tents in the yard of Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah late last night. pic.twitter.com/JdbsPhXNHg
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 14, 2024
Medical teams rescued several wounded individuals, including women and children, many of whom had suffered severe burns. It took civil defense teams 45 minutes to bring the fire under control.
The Gaza government’s media office confirmed that this was the seventh time Israeli forces have targeted the tents of displaced people within the grounds of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital since the war on Gaza began more than a year ago.
Nuseirat Massacre
The attack occurred just hours after another Israeli raid on Al-Mufti School in the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, which left 22 Palestinians dead, including 15 children and a woman, and wounded 80 others.
Thousands of displaced people had been seeking refuge at the school. Medical teams described the condition of many of the injured as critical, with some transferred to Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat for treatment.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Ten Palestinians were killed and more than 40 were injured in an Israeli artillery bombardment that targeted an aid distribution center in Jabaliya camp. pic.twitter.com/BdThTvD11x
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 14, 2024
The Gaza government media office stated that the bombing of Al-Mufti School brings the number of shelters and displacement centers targeted by Israeli forces to 191, all of which housed thousands of displaced civilians.
Gaza’s Civil Defense noted that the targeting of both Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and Al-Mufti School indicates that there are no safe spaces left in Gaza.
Northern Gaza under Siege
Meanwhile, in the northern Gaza Strip, which Israeli forces have isolated from Gaza City, the siege continues.
For the tenth consecutive day, residents have been denied access to food, water, and fuel.
Reports from Al-Jazeera indicate that Israeli forces are systematically destroying the remaining infrastructure in the area, including water wells, desalination plants, and solar energy facilities.
Eyewitnesses reported ongoing explosions and house demolitions by the Israeli army, with some homes in the Jabaliya refugee camp being leveled with their residents still inside. The bodies remain trapped beneath the rubble.
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Horrific scenes from the deadly Israeli massacre last night against innocent civilians at the yard of Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/jkBL4bB8DD
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 14, 2024
Meanwhile, ten Palestinians were killed and over 40 injured when Israeli artillery struck an aid distribution center in Jabaliy on Monday morning.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza expressed fears that many more people may have been killed in the streets or under the rubble of their homes, as medical teams are unable to reach them.
Residents reported that Israeli forces have effectively cut off the northern Gaza Strip cities of Beit Hanoun, Jabaliya, and Beit Lahia from Gaza City, preventing any movement between the regions.
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 42,227 Palestinians have been killed, and 98,464 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(PC, AJA)