2023-10-26 07:08:01
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops and tanks made a brief ground incursion into northern Gaza overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, according to the military, attacking several military targets to “prepare the battlefield.” , amid forecasts of a ground offensive following more than two weeks of devastating air attacks.
The operation came following the United Nations warned that it was close to running out of fuel in the Gaza Strip, forcing it to drastically reduce its aid efforts in the territory, subject to a total siege since the bloody attack by Hamas in southern Israel that sparked war this month.
Hospitals in Gaza were struggling to care for the multitude of wounded as supplies ran out. Health officials said the death toll was soaring as fighter jets pounded Gaza. Workers pulled dead and injured civilians, including many children, from debris landscapes in cities across the territory.
The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, on Wednesday reported more than 750 deaths in the previous 24 hours, up from 704 deaths the previous day. The Associated Press might not independently verify the death toll, and the ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The Israeli army, which accuses Hamas of operating among civilians, said its bombings had killed militants and destroyed military targets. Gaza militants have maintained constant rocket fire toward Israel since the conflict began.
During their overnight operation, the military said soldiers had hit fighters, militant infrastructure and anti-tank missile launching positions. At first there were no reports of casualties on either side.
The rising death toll in Gaza is unprecedented in the decades-long conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. The loss of life might be even greater if Israel launches a ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and survived four previous wars with Israel.
Gaza’s Health Minister said more than 6,500 Palestinians have died in the war. The figure includes the controversial death toll left by an explosion at a hospital last week.
The fighting has killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, most of them civilians who died during the initial Hamas attack, according to the Israeli government. Hamas also holds some 222 people hostage in Gaza.
The UN refugee agency’s warning of depleting fuel supplies sparked concerns that the humanitarian crisis might quickly worsen.
Gazans have been running out of food, water and medicine as Israel cut off supplies. About 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have fled their homes, and almost half of them are crammed into UN shelters.
In recent days, Israel has allowed in a small number of trucks carrying aid from Egypt, but has prohibited the delivery of fuel — needed for generators — because it believes Hamas will keep it.
UNRWA has been sharing its own fuel supplies so that trucks can distribute aid, bakeries can feed people in shelters, water can be desalinated and hospitals can keep incubators and life-support machines running. and other important equipment.
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Magdy reported from Cairo and Teibel from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report.
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