Gaza: Dozens of Palestinians were killed in the latest Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA on Wednesday. Since midnight, a total of 40 people have died in different incidents, with 17 bodies brought to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City alone, the report said.
According to Ghana News Agency, Israel did not initially issue a statement regarding the attacks. Israel consistently emphasizes that it is fighting the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group in the Gaza Strip and aims to spare civilians. The Israeli military announced that before the planned capture of Gaza City, exercises have been scheduled in the coming weeks during which the troops will ‘conduct combat drills in open terrain and urban environments to strengthen operational readiness in the Gaza Strip.’
Some 1 million people are in Gaza City, according to estimates. Witnesses say numerous Palestinians already fled further south ahead of Israel’s planned assault. But Israel says Hamas is trying to prevent people from leaving the city.
The conflict in Gaza was triggered by Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has led to the deaths of more than 63,700 people, according to figures from the Hamas-controlled health authorities in the territory. The tally does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but the figures are seen as credible by the United Nations.
Six people in the Gaza Strip have also died from hunger and malnutrition, including a child within the past day. Israel denies that there is hunger in the Gaza Strip.
