Four Israeli soldiers killed in explosion in Rafah
The Israeli army has said that four of its soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces invaded Rafah on May 6, promising a “limited” operation against Hamas fighters.
More than four months later, much of the city has been levelled to the ground and little is known of the few Palestinians who remained there after Israel ordered more than 1 million people who had been sheltering there to flee.
Aid group decries killings of 710 newborn babies in Gaza
Save the Children has responded to Gaza’s Ministry of Health publishing a list that showed Israeli forces have killed at least 710 newborn babies in attacks on Gaza.
“No parent should have to go through the agony and heartbreak of losing their child,” the humanitarian organisation said in the post on X. “We simply cannot accept the violence that Palestinian children continue to face as normal.”
710 Palestinian newborn babies have been killed by Israeli forces during the ongoing war in Gaza.
No parent should have to go through the agony and heartbreak of losing their child.
We simply cannot accept the violence that Palestinian children continue to face as normal. pic.twitter.com/ziMfif0Tml
— Save the Children UK (@savechildrenuk) September 17, 2024
Palestinian Health Ministry condemns death of Gaza doctor while in Israeli prison
The Palestinian Ministry of Health denounced the death of Dr Ziad Muhammad al-Dalu in Israeli prison, detained while he was working in Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital, the ministry said in a statement.
“The Ministry condemns this heinous crime against Palestinian medical staff, and considers targeting health cadres while performing their humanitarian duty a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and all international conventions,” its statement read.
Al-Dalu was detained by Israeli forces on March 18, according to the Health Ministry.
“The continuation of these violations against health workers is a systematic targeting of the Palestinian people and their institutions, and the Ministry stresses the need to hold the [Israeli] occupation accountable before the international community for its crimes against medical staff and civilians.”
Israel has killed more than 500 Palestinian medical staff in Gaza since it launched its devastating war last October.
Four bodies recovered from Rafah: Gaza’s civil defence
Gaza’s civil defence is reporting the recovery of four bodies in the Khirbet al-Adas area in Rafah, in southern Gaza. The civil defence stated the bodies found were from the al-Yazouri, Sheikh al-Eid, al-Jamal and Abu Hilal families.
Israel killed 20 Palestinians in Gaza in past 24 hours: Ministry
At least 20 people have been killed and 54 others wounded in Israeli attacks in Gaza during the past 24 hours, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The latest figure brought the total death toll in Israel’s war on Gaza to at least 41,272, with thousands also missing.
At least 95,551 people have also been wounded in Israeli attacks since October 7 last year.
At least 10 killed as Israel bombs Gaza City school, Rafah vehicle
At least 10 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed, and dozens more were injured in Israeli bombings in Gaza City and Rafah, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, which cited local sources.
Eight people were killed and several others wounded after Israeli forces targeted the Ibn al-Haytham School in the Shujayea neighbourhood east of Gaza City with a missile, Wafa reported. Those injured were taken to the nearby al-Ahli Arab (Baptist) Hospital, the agency said.
Meanwhile, two people were killed and at least 10 were injured after an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle on a road in the al-Mawasi area opposite the Red Cross field hospital in Rafah, Wafa reported. The two victims were transferred to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, according to the agency.
Israeli army claims it targeted Gaza City school used by Hamas
The Israeli army has put out a statement claiming it carried out a “precise strike” on a Hamas “command and control centre embedded inside a compound that previously served as the Ibn Al-Haytam School in the area of Gaza City”. “This is a further example of the Hamas terrorist organization’s systematic abuse of civilian infrastructure in violation of international law,” the statement said.
The Israeli military did not provide evidence to back up this claim. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of operating from civilian compounds such as schools and evacuation centres, a claim Hamas denies.
‘Surge of air strikes on evacuation centres in north Gaza’
Earlier today, Israeli drones hit a Palestinian civilian vehicle on the coastline of Rafah City where at least two people have been confirmed killed while more than 11 others were wounded. They were passerbyes and people who were living in the area that was bombarded.
One of the worst attacks today was carried out on one of the main evacuation centres in an al-Shajayea neighbourhood on the eastern side of Gaza City. At least eight Palestinians were killed, including five children and two women. But the scenes of children with their faces covered with dust and blood and mothers carrying their children in order to flee the area are very horrific.
There’s a massive surge of air strikes on evacuation centres in the north of Gaza, which are housing thousands of Palestinian families. People are now fleeing evacuation centres, going to either build makeshift tents on the remnants of their destroyed houses or they are looking for any empty piece of land.
