Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza
Gaza, Feb 4: At least 18 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, marking one of the deadliest days since the US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect in October, reports said on Wednesday.
According to reports, Israel has killed 529 Palestinians since the ceasefire began. Since the war started on October 7, 2023, at least 71,803 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks. Rights groups and a United Nations inquiry have described Israeli military actions as a genocide, while a case against Israel is currently under way at the International Court of Justice.
An Al Jazeera report from Khan Younis said there has been a sharp surge in Israeli military activity across Gaza, with drones heard hovering overhead, raising fears of further strikes. Medical sources said several of the casualties included children.
In northern Gaza, 14 people were reportedly killed in Israeli shelling. In the south, four more deaths were reported after strikes hit tents sheltering displaced families in the Qizan Abu Rashwan area, south of Khan Younis.
Israel’s military said its armoured units and aircraft carried out strikes in northern Gaza after a reserve officer came under fire and was severely injured during what it described as “routine operational activity” near the so-called “yellow line” — a demarcation area under Israeli military control.
Rafah crossing evacuation suspended
Amid the renewed violence, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Israel cancelled coordination for a third batch of Palestinian patients and wounded to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Wednesday.
PRCS spokesperson Raed al-Nims said the evacuation was called off at the last moment, despite preparations for medical check-ups and ambulance transfers to the crossing for onward travel to hospitals in Egypt and other locations.
Only five Palestinians were allowed to leave for Egypt on Monday and 16 on Tuesday, far below the 50 per day that Israeli officials had earlier indicated would be permitted.
Israel has now claimed the World Health Organization (WHO) had not submitted required coordination details, though there was no response from the WHO at the time of reporting.
Gaza health officials said more than 18,000 Palestinian patients are awaiting medical evacuation through Rafah, including around 440 critical cases requiring urgent treatment.
West Bank: Palestinian killed in Jericho raid
Meanwhile, violence was also reported in the occupied West Bank. A 24-year-old Palestinian, Saeed Na’el al-Sheikh, was shot dead by Israeli forces during a raid in Jericho on Tuesday night, according to Wafa news agency.
The Health Ministry said three others were injured in the same incident, while six more Palestinians were wounded in separate attacks, including those shot, assaulted, and one woman reportedly run over by a military vehicle.