Emergency responders: Multiple fatalities in Israeli strikes on Gaza territory
Israel's military declared that they had targeted numerous terrorist groups and Hamas facilities during their strikes in Bureidsch and Deir al-Balah.
On Thursday, the Israeli army launched an attack on a UN Palestinian relief organization's (UNRWA) school in the Nuseirat settlement within the Gaza Strip. According to their own accounts, they killed 17 militants. A local hospital reported that 37 individuals were killed in the assault. UNRWA's director, Philippe Lazzarini, stated that at least 35 fatalities occurred. The Israeli government claimed that approximately 30 members of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militia were utilizing three classrooms in the school to administer their military strategies.
Israel has been accusing Hamas of exploiting civilians as human shields and using civic institutions, such as hospitals and schools, to support their infrastructure since the war in Gaza started eight months ago. However, Hamas denies these allegations.
Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz was expected to hold a press conference in the evening, where his resignation as a minister in the war cabinet was anticipated. His office had previously announced that he would address the media at 19:40 (MESZ) in Ramat Gan, a city near Tel Aviv. The media interpreted the announcement as a precursor to Gantz's departure from Netanyahu's government.
Gantz had resigned from the opposition role following the significant assault on Israel by Hamas on October 7th and joined Netanyahu's war cabinet as a minister without a specific portfolio. In mid-May, Gantz had warned that he would resign if Netanyahu and his right-wing religious administration did not present a post-war plan for the Gaza Strip by June 8th.
Netanyahu is facing heightened internal pressure. Netanyahu's right-wing extremist coalition partners, Israel's Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, threatened to dissolve the coalition if an arrangement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was reached. Additionally, thousands of protesters took to the streets in various Israeli cities in support of a truce agreement and the return of Hamas hostages. Gantz announced on June 3rd that the release of hostages was a "priority."
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- Rescue services in Gaza have been working tirelessly to tend to the numerous casualties resulting from the Israeli strikes, with several rescue workers cited as being among the dead.
- Philippe Lazzarini, the director of UNRWA, condemned the attacks on the Gaza Strip and expressed concern about the safety of their operations, particularly in light of the incident involving their school in Nuseirat.
- Benny Gantz, the Israeli opposition leader, criticized Hamas for using civilian facilities as military bases, stating that such actions only escalate the conflict and endanger innocent lives.
- Hamas officials, however, denied these accusations, maintaining that Israel is deliberately targeting civilians and using the crisis as an opportunity to strengthen their own position.
- In response to the escalation of violence, several international organizations, including the UN, have called for an immediate ceasefire and for all parties to respect international humanitarian law.
