The Israeli military launched strikes across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of at least 14 Palestinians, according to medics.
The majority of casualties were recorded in the northern town of Beit Lahiya. Medics reported that eight people lost their lives in Beit Lahiya, while four others were killed in separate attacks in Gaza City.
Later in the day, an Israeli airstrike targeted Jabalia, Gaza’s largest historic refugee camp in the north, killing two and injuring others.
According to Reuters, the Israeli military, which has maintained a presence in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun since October, claims its operations have eliminated hundreds of militants in these areas. However, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad armed wing assert that their fighters have killed several Israeli soldiers in ambushes during the same period.
Palestinian authorities accuse Israel of using forced evacuations and bombardments to create a buffer zone by driving residents out of northern Gaza. The Israeli military denies this, stating its operations aim to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping in areas they previously cleared.
ALSO READ: Egypt hosts Hamas in new Gaza ceasefire push
The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service reports that its operations in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun have been halted for nearly a month due to Israeli strikes and fuel shortages.
The agency revealed that 13 out of 27 emergency vehicles in central and southern Gaza are no longer operational, citing similar shortages. Since the conflict began, 88 Civil Emergency Service members have been killed, 304 injured, and 21 detained by Israel.
Evacuation orders were issued on Tuesday for residents in the northern districts of Khan Younis, a town in southern Gaza. The Israeli army cited rocket fire from the area as the reason for the directive, prompting many families to flee westward before dawn.
“For your own safety, you must evacuate the area immediately and move to the humanitarian zone,” the Israeli army stated on X.
Palestinian and UN officials contend there are no safe zones in Gaza, where over 2.3 million people have been displaced, many multiple times since the conflict erupted.
Israel’s military campaign began after Hamas-led fighters launched an attack on Israeli communities on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then