Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that 19 individuals, including six children, lost their lives due to Israeli air strikes and tank fire on Saturday (November 23, 2024).
Spokesperson Mahmud Bassal stated that “19 people were killed and over 40 others were injured in three incidents of Israeli air strikes in Gaza Strip from midnight to early morning,” along with tank fire in Rafah in the southern region of the territory.
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One of the attacks targeted a residence in the Zeitun neighborhood of Gaza City, claiming the lives of seven individuals, including three children, and injuring 10 others.
Abdullah Shaldan, a family member of the victims, questioned, “What was their fault? They were innocently sleeping in their homes – they were civilians with no affiliation to Hamas or any resistance group.”
Footage from AFPTV depicted individuals sifting through debris using torches and phones in the dark, while a young boy cried out for his father.
Another strike in Khan Yunis resulted in the deaths of six people, including three children, and left 26 displaced individuals living in tents near the targeted house wounded, as per Bassal.
“I rushed to the scene and witnessed the devastation, with people carrying body parts from under the rubble,” recounted Umm Muhammad Abu Sabla, a relative of one of the victims, to AFP.
“Our lives are filled with misery. Let them end our suffering by killing us all,” expressed the 62-year-old.
In Nuseirat, four individuals perished in a strike on a house, while in Rafah, two young men fell victim to tank fire, informed Bassal.
The conflict in Gaza was initiated by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 1,206 individuals, predominantly civilians, as per AFP’s calculations based on Israeli official data.
Over 44,056 individuals have lost their lives in Gaza during more than a year of warfare, with the majority being civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry figures recognized by the United Nations.
Published – November 23, 2024 09:51 pm IST
