Israeli army continues attacks on northern Gaza Strip - thousands flee
According to a journalist from the AFP news agency, explosions were heard in the area on Friday. Israel announced on Friday that it would conduct "targeted air strikes" against Hamas fighters in the Shujaiya neighborhood. The Hamas and the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad also reported fighting in the area.
According to UN aid organization OCHA, approximately 60,000 to 80,000 Palestinians were displaced from the area in the northern Gaza Strip in the past week. AFP images from Saturday showed men transporting belongings on a donkey cart. Some people were being pushed in wheelchairs, while children passed by with backpacks near the rubble.
He is "fleeing from Schujaiya due to the bombardment by Israeli aircraft, tanks, and drones," Mohammed Harara told AFP. "We couldn't take anything from the house with us. We left behind the food, flour, canned goods, mattresses, and blankets."
Fighting was also reported in other areas of the Gaza Strip on Saturday. The Hamas-controlled civil defense authority reported that four bodies were recovered from a house following an Israeli attack in the center of the Palestinian territories. Witnesses also reported casualties from an attack in the southern city of Rafah.
The conflict in the Gaza Strip has been ongoing for more than eight months. It was triggered by a unprecedented attack by Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups on Israel on October 7. According to Israeli figures, 1,194 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. 116 of them are still being held by Hamas, 41 of whom are reportedly dead according to the Israeli army.
In response to the attack, Israel has been conducting massive military operations in the Gaza Strip since then. According to figures from the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, which cannot be independently verified, over 37,800 people have been killed in these operations.
The Israeli army had declared the Hamas command structure in the northern Gaza Strip to be dismantled months ago. The renewed fighting in the area followed statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the previous Sunday, that the "intensive phase" of the war, which had been ongoing for nearly nine months, was coming to an end.
- The fighting between Israel's military and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has resulted in the displacement of thousands of men, women, and children from the north Gaza Strip.
- Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have been ongoing for over eight months, with regular "targeted air strikes" against Hamas fighters.
- The conflict has led to severe consequences, including the destruction of homes, leaving residents like Mohammed Harara to flee with only what they could carry.
- On Saturday, the Hamas-controlled civil defense authority reported four bodies being recovered from a house following an Israeli attack in the center of the Palestinian territories.
- Witnesses also reported casualties from an attack in the southern city of Rafah, raising concerns about the safety of civilians in the Gaza Strip.
- The AFP news agency reported explosions in the Shujaiya neighborhood on Friday, escalating the tension between Israel and Hamas in the area.
- The Israeli army had declared the Hamas command structure in the northern Gaza Strip dismantled months ago, but renewed fighting has necessitated a new response.
- The Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been criticized for its handling of the conflict, with many calling for an end to the violence and a peaceful resolution to the ongoing situation in the Gaza Strip.
