In a bloody escalation that has further shattered any illusion of ceasefire, Israel has carried out an intense night of bombing in Gaza. The Zionists targeted civilian homes and, outrageously, once again bombed tents for displaced people. Over 100 people have been martyred, with many wounded.
As of the 18 October, Gaza’s media office released a blistering statement outlining how Israel has violated the ceasefire 47 times since the deal came into effect:
These violations have included crimes of direct gunfire against civilians, deliberate shelling and targeting, and the arrest of a number of civilians, reflecting the occupation’s continued policy of aggression despite the declared end of the war.
However, mere days since this statement, Israel has carried out further bombing in the Strip. Early on Wednesday 29 October, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that 104 martyrs had arrived at hospitals in the Strip since the escalation began last night. That includes 46 children and 20 women, along with 253 wounded, including 78 children and 84 women.
Violation upon violation
The ministry said that since the ceasefire agreement was signed on 11 October, the death toll has reached 211 martyrs and 597 injuries, while a total of 482 martyrs have been recovered from under the rubble.
Since the start of the aggression in October 2023, the cumulative number has risen to 68,643 martyrs and 170,655 injuries, according to the ministry’s statistics.
For its part, Hamas confirmed in a statement that it “had no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah.” Israel had claimed that the alleged incident in Rafah was a violation of the agreement. Instead, Hamas called on mediators, foremost among them Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to:
take urgent action to stop the aggression and curb the brutal escalation against civilians.
Field reports indicated that Israeli aircraft bombed tents housing displaced persons and residential homes east of Gaza City, in addition to blowing up a number of buildings, causing widespread destruction, the final toll of which is not yet known.
Halt of prisoner handover
The bombing coincided with an announcement by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, that they had found the body of one of the occupation’s prisoners during search operations in a tunnel south of the Strip, but said they had:
postponed handing it over due to violations by the occupation.
And, they warned that:
continued escalation will lead to the disruption of search operations and the recovery of bodies.
Observers believe that this escalation is part of a series of more than 120 Israeli violations over the past two weeks, including artillery and air strikes and preventing rescue teams from reaching the destroyed areas, amid warnings from humanitarian organisations of an impending disaster as camps, schools and civilian facilities in the besieged Strip continue to be targeted.
Featured image via the Canary
