The Israeli Army destroyed infrastructure, seized weapons and killed militants of the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, within the framework of an offensive focused on the south of the enclave, while the number of civilian victims continues to grow. among the Palestinians.
Israeli troops “continue to eliminate terrorists and locate weapons and military equipment in the heart of Khan Younis,” the most important region in the south of the Hamas enclave and stronghold, said an Israeli Army spokesman.
“The fire team of the command brigade directed a plane that eliminated three terrorists who were dedicated to burying explosive devices near the forces,” while the ground troops destroyed a military warehouse where numerous ammunition, weapons and various means were found. technological and they clashed hand-to-hand with the militiamen, he added.
“In one of the confrontations, seven terrorists who fired anti-tank RPG rocket launchers at the soldiers were identified inside a building and eliminated with tank projectiles,” he added.
Day 113 of war
This occurs at the start of the 113th day of the war and will increase the death toll in Gaza, where at least 26,083 Palestinians have lost their lives, most of them children and women, and another 64,487 have been injured.
The Al Amal hospital in Khan Yunis, which has been under siege for several days by Israeli forces, “received three dead and nine wounded during the last hours as a result of shelling by the occupation against the houses surrounding the hospital,” denounced the Red Crescent emergency service.
The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that “at least two civilians were killed today and others were injured after an Israeli airstrike targeted a house in the Al Yeneina neighborhood of Rafah,” a city on the southern edge of the enclave. which borders Egypt, and where hundreds of thousands of Gazans have moved, including Khan Younis.
Israel’s “precise operations”
The Israeli Army said yesterday that it is carrying out “precise operations” in the main hospitals in Khan Younis, such as Naser and Al Amal, arguing that Hamas militants are operating from inside.
Hospital siege
The Ministry of Health in Gaza, controlled by Hamas, has been denouncing for days that “the Israeli occupation is besieging the hospitals of Khan Younis, completely paralyzing them while committing crimes of genocide and preventing the movement of ambulances.”
According to the ministry, the Naser hospital – where some 150 members of medical staff operate who care for 350 patients – and the Al Amal hospital are “without food and without security”, as well as lacking anesthetics or painkillers.
The U.N. humanitarian agency, OCHA, said the Naser hospital, which currently houses some 18,000 displaced people, is operating “under minimal conditions, as it is surrounded by the Israeli army and is experiencing intense fighting, so it can no longer receive patients or supplies.”
Almost two million displaced
The war has left 1.92 million displaced people in the Strip, 85% of the total population, who are experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
Under the rains and frosts of winter, thousands of families with children and the elderly live in plastic tents in the open, amid the outbreak of epidemics and the collapse of hospitals, in addition to the persistent shortage of drinking water, food, medicine and electricity. .
Suspension of funding to UNRWA
These conditions could worsen following the announcement by several countries to suspend financing of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), which manages the distribution of humanitarian aid and was accused by the Israeli government of having among its staff those who participated in the Hamas attack against Israel that sparked the war on October 7 and left some 1,200 dead and 250 hostages.
Canada is one of those countries that has suspended funding. Canada’s Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen, announced this Friday that the federal government had decided to suspend additional funding to the United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) following an investigation into alleged links to Hamas.
Specifically, the organization is examining some of its former employees suspected of being involved in the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7.
Guterres, horrified
Likewise, the United Nations reported that Secretary General Antonio Guterres was informed and that he was “horrified.”
Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy accused UNRWA of going public while media attention was on the International Court of Justice’s decision ordering Israel to do more to help civilians in Gaza and prevent genocide.
The US makes the same decision as Canada
For its part, the United States had already made public hours before that it was making the same decision that Canada supported because it was “extremely concerned about the accusations.”
The White House added that they are considering taking other measures regarding UNRWA “depending on the outcome” of the investigations.
Although, the United States acknowledged that the agency has so far played “a critical role” in providing assistance to Palestinians, such as food and medicine, and has “saved lives.”
Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA of complicity with Hamas in Gaza, and has claimed that several of its members are in fact militants of the Islamist group, something the UN has always denied.
UNRWA is the largest organization in Gaza
With more than 30,000 employees, UNRWA is the largest organization in Gaza beyond the Gaza Government.
By TTU
Source: EFE
