Occupied Al-Quds: An international news channel reports that intense Israeli attacked on Khan Younis in southern Gaza with tents for displaced people engulfed in flames after missile strikes that also targeted residential buildings while 18 people burned to death while wounded dozens more
Residents and displaced Palestinians have been ordered by the Israeli military to immediately evacuate the Beit Hanoon and Beit Lahiya areas of northern Gaza, ahead of an expected “large scale” army operation.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society has called on the UN to launch an international investigation into the “systematic torture of Palestinian detainees” amid reports of serious abuses in Israeli prisons, including rape.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says Israel’s continuing assault on Gaza is presenting multiple hurdles to its campaign to prevent a devastating outbreak of polio in the Palestinian territory.
Witnesses recount Israeli attack on Deir el-Balah ‘safe zone’
Israeli attack on Deir el-Balah that killed at least three Palestinians and wounded dozens more.
Witnesses told the international news channel in video testimony that the missile attack on Wednesday came with little warning and “ripped apart” the bodies of victims.
“The Israeli forces called some residents and ordered us to leave,” one man said. “They fired a warning missile and we ran for our lives. Three missiles were fired at this area in a matter of minutes.”
Another man said the Israelis “warned people to leave but before anyone could move, Israeli planes fired missiles at us”. The attack left people “dismembered, their bodies ripped apart,” he said.
A third said the targeted site was in a so-called “safe zone”.
“Most of the people here have been displaced numerous times – from Rafah, Khan Younis and central Gaza – now they’re all crammed into Deir el-Balah,” he said. “The Israelis claim it is a safe zone, why are they shelling the area now? This is all false propaganda.”
At least 39,677 people have been killed and 91,645 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza.
An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 and more than 200 were taken captive.
‘Children have a right to be protected from violence’: UNICEF
The UN’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged for “immediate de-escalation” in the Middle East for the sake of the region’s children.
In a statement, the agency said every attack during the Gaza war has brought “news of children among those killed”.
“In less than a year, thousands of children have been killed across the State of Palestine, Israel, Lebanon and the occupied Golan Heights,” it said.
“Beyond those tragic deaths, there are many more boys and girls suffering from injuries that have forever marked their bodies and caused immeasurable damage to their mental health.”
UNICEF warned that if violence escalates further, “the situation for children threatens to get far, far worse”.
“Immediate de-escalation is essential to safeguard the lives and well-being of children, as the alternative is unconscionable,” it said. “Children have a right to be protected from violence and this should always be upheld.”
