Rahaf: Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight resulted in the deaths of 22 individuals, including 18 children, according to health officials on Sunday. This occurred as the United States moved towards approving billions of dollars in additional military assistance to Israel, its close ally.
Israel has been conducting frequent air raids on Rafah, where over half of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants have sought refuge from conflict in other areas. Despite calls for restraint, including from the U.S., Israel has pledged to escalate its ground offensive against the Hamas militant group to the border city with Egypt.
“In the upcoming days, we will intensify both the political and military pressure on Hamas because this is the sole path to recovering our hostages and achieving triumph. We will deliver further and excruciating blows to Hamas—soon,” stated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a release, although no specifics were provided.
The initial Israeli strike in Rafah claimed the lives of a man, his wife, and their 3-year-old child, as reported by the nearby Kuwaiti Hospital, which received the bodies. The woman, who was pregnant, was saved along with the baby by doctors, the hospital disclosed. Subsequently, a second strike resulted in the deaths of 17 children and two women from an extended family.
“Those children were in slumber. What wrong had they done? What was their transgression?” questioned a relative, Umm Kareem. Mohammed al-Beheiri lamented that his daughter, Rasha, and her six children, the youngest being 18 months old, were among those lost. There remains a woman and three children trapped under the debris.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has claimed the lives of over 34,000 Palestinians, as per local health authorities, with at least two-thirds of them being children and women. It has brought devastation to Gaza’s two largest cities, leaving behind a trail of destruction. Roughly 80% of the population in the besieged coastal enclave have fled to other regions.
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a $26 billion aid package, including approximately $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza, which experts warn is on the verge of famine. The U.S. Senate is expected to approve the package as early as Tuesday, with President Joe Biden pledging immediate endorsement.
Now in its seventh month, the conflict has triggered regional turmoil, aligning Israel and the U.S. against Iran and affiliated militant groups throughout the Middle East. This month saw direct exchanges of fire between Israel and Iran, escalating fears of an all-out war.
Tensions have also surged in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Early Sunday, Israeli forces fatally shot two Palestinians who, according to the military, attacked a checkpoint with a knife and gun near the southern West Bank town of Hebron. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the two deceased as an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old from the same family. The army reported no injuries among its forces.
Subsequently, the military announced the fatal shooting of a 43-year-old Palestinian woman after she attempted to stab a soldier in the northern West Bank near Beka’ot settlement.
The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service confirmed the recovery of 14 bodies from an Israeli raid in the Nur Shams urban refugee camp in the West Bank, which commenced late Thursday. Among those killed were three militants from the Islamic Jihad group and a 15-year-old boy. The military claimed the lives of 14 militants and detained eight suspects. Ten Israeli soldiers and one border police officer sustained injuries.
In another incident in the West Bank, an Israeli man suffered injuries in an explosion on Sunday, reported the Magen David Adom rescue service. A video circulating online depicts a man approaching a Palestinian flag planted in a field. Upon kicking it, an explosive device appears to be triggered.
Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank have reportedly killed at least 469 Palestinians since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The majority of these fatalities occurred during Israeli military operations or violent demonstrations.
The conflict was sparked by an unprecedented raid into southern Israel on October 7, during which Hamas and other militants claimed the lives of around 1,200 individuals, predominantly civilians, and abducted approximately 250 hostages. Israel asserts that militants are still holding around 100 hostages along with the remains of over 30 others.
Thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets demanding a new election to replace Netanyahu and a negotiation with Hamas for the release of hostages. Netanyahu has vowed to persist with the conflict until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are freed.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in at least 34,097 Palestinian fatalities and 76,980 injuries, as per the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count, and it suspects the actual toll may be higher due to many bodies being trapped beneath rubble or in inaccessible areas.
Israel attributes civilian casualties to Hamas, citing that militants operate within densely populated residential areas. The military rarely comments on individual strikes, which often result in the deaths of women and children. According to the military, over 13,000 Hamas fighters have been killed, although evidence is not provided.