Israeli forces intensified their bombardment of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of at least 23 individuals, according to Palestinian medical sources. More than half of the casualties occurred in the northern regions, where the military has been conducting a month-long campaign aimed at hindering Hamas from regrouping.
Palestinian sources have described these new aerial and ground assaults, along with enforced evacuations, as “ethnic cleansing” intended to evacuate two northern Gaza towns and a camp to create buffer zones. Israel has rejected these claims, asserting that their operations are targeting Hamas militants responsible for launching attacks.
Medical personnel reported that at least 13 Palestinians were killed in separate attacks on residences in the town of Beit Lahiya and Jabalia, the largest of the enclave’s historic eight refugee camps and the primary focus of the recent military offensive. The remainder of the fatalities occurred in separate Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City and southern areas.
The Israeli military has not provided comments regarding its Sunday operations in northern Gaza. On the previous day, an additional army division was deployed to Jabalia to join two other battalions already in operation, according to an army statement. The statement claimed that hundreds of Palestinian militants have been killed in the “battles” since the raid commenced on October 5.
Simultaneously, COGAT, the Israeli army’s agency overseeing Palestinian civilian affairs, reported that it had facilitated the initiation of the second phase of a polio vaccination campaign in northern Gaza on Saturday, during which 58,604 children received vaccinations.
However, the Gaza health ministry reported that Israel’s military activities in northern Gaza hindered the vaccination of thousands of children in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun. It was noted that one clinic came under Israeli fire while parents were present to vaccinate their children, resulting in injuries to four children.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that the attack occurred despite a humanitarian pause agreed upon by Israel and Hamas to facilitate the vaccination campaign. Ghebreyesus highlighted the importance of respecting these humanitarian pauses and called for a ceasefire to ensure health protection for children.
The Israeli military has not addressed Tedros’ remarks. A broader ceasefire that could terminate the conflict and secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held in Gaza, as well as Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, remains unlikely due to disagreements between Hamas and Israel. Hamas demands a permanent end to the war and has rejected recent proposals for temporary ceasefires. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserts that the conflict can only conclude with the eradication of Hamas.
The conflict began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, causing approximately 1,200 fatalities and taking 251 hostages to Gaza, as reported by Israeli sources. In response, Israeli offensives have led to the deaths of over 43,000 Palestinians and have devastated much of Gaza.
