Israeli Strikes Kill Dozens Before Truce Comes into Effect
The Gaza Ministry of Health said on Thursday that 27 people were killed by a strike on the Abu Hussein School, a UN-run shelter for displaced Palestinians in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.
Israeli forces also targeted the Indonesian Hospital, hitting the main entrance and power generators. Ashraf al-Qudra, the ministry’s spokesperson, said the hospital was under “intense bombardment” and that “large parts of the building” were damaged. More than 200 patients, medical staff and internally displaced people were inside the hospital in Beit Lahiya, which has been under siege for a week.
The truce, brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, took effect at 7:00 am (0500 GMT) on Friday, while Palestinians, who had been seeking refuge at UN schools and hospitals in southern Gaza, began to return to their homes and check the extent of the destruction.
The truce agreement includes a prisoner swap deal which will take place later in the day. Aid trucks are also expected to enter Gaza during the four days, according to Al Jazeera.
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Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, after Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in response to Israel’s decades-long campaign of violence and oppression against Palestinians. Israel also imposed a total blockade on Gaza, cutting off water, food, and electricity to the coastal strip, which faces a humanitarian crisis.
The Government Media Office in Gaza said on Thursday that at least 14,854 Palestinians, including more than 6,150 children and 4,000 women, have been killed and over 36,000 others injured in the Israeli strikes.
The report also said that 207 health workers and 65 journalists were among the dead, and that 7,000 Palestinians were still missing. The report added that 60 percent of homes in Gaza have either been destroyed or damaged by the aggression.
Source: Agencies
