In the north of the Gaza Strip, Israeli occupying forces carried out bombings against residential buildings near Jabalia and in the town of Beit Lahia. A doctor was seriously injured inside Kamal Adwan Hospital following an explosion by the occupation of a booby-trapped robot near the hospital. Hossam Abu Safiya, director of the hospital, said last night was one of the most difficult nights for the hospital and its surroundings. He emphasized that “the occupation detonated around 10 robots, most of them near the hospital, resulting in the destruction of all doors, internal barriers and windows, and also demolished some walls, and that the debris scattered everywhere caused panic among people hospitalized.” He further called on the international community to urgently intervene to protect the medical system and patients, stressing that “The situation has become unbearable. Despite our calls for help, no assistance has been provided.”
Furthermore, an Israeli plane knowingly bombed a broadcast vehicle belonging to the channel Al-Qods Today positioned in front of the gate of Al-Awda hospital in the Nouseirat camp, leading to the martyrdom of 5 journalists. The journalists were covering hospital-related events when their vehicle, marked with the inscription « PRESS » in large red letters, was targeted. The victims were identified as Fadi Hassouna, Ibrahim al-Sheikh Ali, Mohammed al-Ladah, Faisal Abu al-Qumsan and Ayman al-Jadi.
The Gaza-based Government Media Office condemned the killing and urged the international community and rights groups to condemn Israeli crimes and prosecute them in international courts. It added that these new victims bore to 201 the number of journalists killed by Israel in Gaza since October last year.
Anas al-Sharif, correspondentAl Jazeera, reported that at the time of the attack Ayman al-Jadi was near the hospital, where his wife was due to give birth to their first child. Images from the scene showed the vehicle in flames, as civil defense teams worked to recover the bodies and put out the fire.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike, saying it targeted a vehicle carrying members of the Islamic Jihad. “Prior to the attack, numerous measures were taken to reduce risks to civilians, including the use of precision weapons, aerial observations and additional intelligence information,” the army said in a publication on X.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned these killings and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
Active resistance
According to the latest statistics from the Gaza Strip Ministry of Health, the number of martyrs from the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023 amounts to at least 38 Palestinians in the incessant Israeli attacks against the Strip. Gaza over the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll since last year to 45,399, the health ministry in the enclave said Thursday. A ministry statement added that some 107,940 other people have been injured in the ongoing attacks. “Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads, rescuers unable to reach them,” he added.
It should be noted that in this context of war, the Palestinian resistance continues its operations against the Zionist occupier. THE Brigades martyres Izz al-Din al-Qassam, Hamas’ military wing, announced Wednesday that an Israeli soldier was shot dead east of Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip. As they announced the firing of a missile SAM 7 on an Israeli Apache helicopter west of the Jabalia camp. To the east of the camp, one of the resistance fighters was able to throw a grenade at point blank range at a group of occupying soldiers.
Before that, the same Brigades announced that they had targeted an Israeli tank Merkava and shot down a drone Evo Max in the New Camp area, north of Nuseirat, in the middle of the Gaza Strip.
For their part, the Brigades Al-Qods announced that they had bombarded, with 107 missiles, the enemy command and control headquarters west of the Netzarim axis. Additionally, the mujahideen fired regular mortar shells (60 caliber) at enemy soldiers and vehicles entering the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.
An Israeli reservist soldier was killed during clashes with Palestinian fighters in the central Gaza Strip, the occupation army announced on Thursday. A military statement said the soldier was a unit commander in the 551st Reserve Parachute Brigade of the Army’s 6551st Battalion. The press release, however, did not provide details on the circumstances of his death.
At least 882 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 5,524 others injured since the Gaza conflict began on October 7, 2023, according to army data.
In Tel Aviv, it is reported that the families of Israeli hostages in Gaza threatened to sue Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, accusing him of blocking a prisoner exchange agreement with the Palestinians. “We will appeal to the High Court if you persist in abandoning our loved ones to Hamas captivity,” they declared in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister and quoted by the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth. In the letter, the families accuse Netanyahu of obstructing efforts to reach such an agreement with the Hamas. “Refusing to end the war means sacrificing the hostages and reducing their chances of returning alive”we can read in this letter.
The day before Wednesday, the Hamas said a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange had been delayed due to new conditions posed by Israel. “The (Israeli) occupation posed new questions and conditions regarding the withdrawal, the ceasefire, the prisoners and the return of displaced people, which delayed the conclusion of an agreement,” Hamas said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu said a team of Israeli negotiators would return from Qatar for consultations on a possible prisoner exchange deal with the Hamas. However, according to some observers, this announcement is part of a trend to delay negotiations. Since the sole ceasefire at the end of November 2023, the Israeli Prime Minister has hinted at progress in the negotiations with a view to an exchange of prisoners and a possible ceasefire, to then insist on the continuation of military operations in the Gaza Strip. Last week he told the Wall Street Journal that the war would continue “until Hamas is completely eradicated”, emphasizing Israel’s rejection of the presence of Hamas on its borders. Israel Katz, Defense Minister, also said Israel would maintain control of security in Gaza and establish buffer zones along the border.
The outings have been criticized by officials of the Israeli negotiating team, who say they jeopardize talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal with the Hamas. Israel is believed to be holding more than 10,300 Palestinian prisoners, while around a hundred of its nationals are in Gaza. THE Hamas said dozens of prisoners had been killed in indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes.
