At least 26 Palestinians, including children, were killed in Israeli attacks on New Year’s Day in the Gaza Strip, and makeshift shelters for displaced people across the Strip were flooded after days of heavy rain.
Attacks were reported Wednesday in Jabalia in northern Gaza, the Braei refugee camp and Gaza City in central Gaza, and the southern city of Khan Yunis.
The Gaza Ministry of Health said the dead included four children and one woman. At least 10 other Palestinians are believed to be missing and buried under the rubble.
“Fifteen people were martyred and more than 20 others were injured in the massacre that occurred shortly after midnight in a house occupied by displaced people in the town of Jabalia,” Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said.
Relatives of some victims said first responders were still searching for survivors. “The house was reduced to a pile of rubble,” said Jibri Abu Warda.
“It was a massacre with body parts of children and women scattered everywhere. They were sleeping when their homes were bombed,” Abu Warda said. “No one knows why they targeted the house. They were all civilians.”
A woman and a child were killed in a night attack at the Braeiji refugee camp, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies.
Six people, including two children and a woman, were killed in an attack on the al-Sweirki family’s home in Gaza City’s Shujaya district, the Civil Defense Force said in a statement.
Three people were also killed in a separate attack in Khan Yunis, according to Nasser Hospital and European Hospital, which received the bodies.
The Civil Defense Agency said heavy Israeli shelling in recent days has made it difficult to respond to distress calls from families.
“The besieged people in the invaded areas are suffering from a complete lack of livelihood. The suspension of our services has a complete impact on the lives of our citizens who are exposed to Israeli shelling.” a civil defense official told Al Jazeera.
“Gaza welcomes the new year not with joy and hope, but with the roar of warplanes, drones and eardrum-shattering explosions,” Al Jazeera reporter Tarek Abu Azizm said in an interview from Deir Bala, central Gaza. spoke.
At least 45,553 Palestinians have been killed and 108,379 injured in Israel’s war in Gaza since October 7, 2023, the Gaza Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.
“Palestinians are not only overwhelmed by Israeli bombs and forced evacuations, but also by the bitter cold. Many of them live in tents, have no warm clothing and rely on primitive means of heating. “We are trying to deal with it,” Abu Azizm said.
As Israel continues to restrict the entry of humanitarian aid, daily heavy rains have flooded hundreds of temporary shelters across the enclave, compounding misery for forcibly displaced Palestinians. At least six infants have died from colds in recent days.
Sama Darabiyeh, a woman who evacuated from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said: “Because of the winter, I was afraid that my children would get sick, and I was afraid that missiles would fall.” , we didn’t sleep for three days.” Currently living in Beit Rahiya.
During the 15-month long offensive on Gaza, Israeli forces have routinely surrounded and attacked medical facilities housing both patients and displaced families.
“Two days ago, they bombed al-Wafa hospital behind us and debris fell here,” Darabiyeh said.
Last week, Israeli forces raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, forcibly evacuated medical staff and patients from the facility, and arrested the hospital’s director, Dr. Hassam Abu Safia, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
The Gaza Health Ministry said Kamal Adwan Hospital “suffers from a stifling siege, with its operating department, surgery department, laboratory, maintenance, ambulance squad and warehouse completely burnt down.”
The United Nations says Israel’s attacks on hospitals in the Gaza Strip have pushed the country’s medical system “to the brink of complete collapse” and that Israel’s justification for using medical facilities by Palestinian militants is It said it was “vague and broad” and “contradicts public information.”
Israel’s continued attacks on Gaza have drawn international condemnation, with officials and rights groups labeling the attacks and the blocking of aid shipments an act of genocide.
In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide lawsuit at the International Court of Justice over its deadly war in Gaza.
