Gaza, 26 December, 2023 (GNP): In a grim turn of events, a series of Israeli airstrikes have claimed the lives of approximately 100 individuals, marking one of the deadliest nights in the ongoing 11-week conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The heart-wrenching aftermath was palpable at a funeral in Gaza on Monday, where mourners gathered to bid farewell to the victims of an Israeli airstrike targeting Maghazi in the central, blockaded strip.
As the strikes commenced hours before midnight and persisted into Monday, reports from Palestinian media highlighted an escalation of Israeli air and ground shelling in central Gaza.
Health ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qidra revealed that a significant number of those lost in Maghazi were women and children.
Tragically, eight more lives were claimed as Israeli planes and tanks carried out numerous airstrikes on homes and roads in the neighboring areas of al-Bureij and al-Nusseirat, as confirmed by health officials.
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Further exacerbating the crisis, a separate Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, situated in southern Gaza, resulted in 23 additional casualties, bringing the overnight total of Palestinian fatalities to more than 100. The dire situation has prompted numerous residents, rendered homeless after evacuating their residences in Bureij, to seek assistance and shelter, with appeals flooding social media platforms.
One poignant plea came from Odeh, a resident of the refugee camps, who shared, “I have 60 people in the house, individuals who sought refuge believing that the central Gaza area was secure.
Now, we are actively seeking a safe haven.” The unfolding humanitarian crisis underscores the immediate need for international support and intervention to alleviate the suffering of civilians caught in the crossfire.
