The Hamas-controlled Gaza Press Service said Saturday evening that the Israeli army carried out 94 airstrikes and shellings on the Gaza Strip over the past 72 hours, killing 184 people.
GAZA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) — The Hamas-controlled Gaza Press Service said Saturday evening that the Israeli army carried out 94 airstrikes and shellings on the Gaza Strip over the past 72 hours, killing 184 people.
In its statement, the press service described the escalation as “dangerous and brutal”, targeting unarmed civilians and residential areas, particularly in Gaza City.
Many victims, killed or injured, remain trapped under the rubble, with damaged infrastructure hampering their recovery and access to hospitals.
Palestinian civil defense officials in Gaza confirmed that Israeli airstrikes had violently intensified over the past three days, which local residents described as an extraordinarily difficult period.
The statement holds the Israeli military fully responsible for these “horrible crimes” and also criticizes the US administration for providing Israel with weapons and political support.
It calls on the international community and the United Nations Security Council to uphold their legal and moral obligations by sending independent investigative teams to document these “heinous crimes” and ensure that those responsible are held to account.
The intensification of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza began Thursday morning after Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Wednesday that it would use “unprecedented force” if Hamas did not release the hostages and kept firing rockets at Israel.■
