CAIRO: Israeli forces sent tanks into the western side of Gaza's Nuseirat camp on Monday in a new incursion into the enclave's central area, and Palestinian medics said Israeli military strikes had killed at least 11 people since Sunday night. Residents said Israeli tanks opened fire as they rolled into that sector of the camp, one of the Gaza Strip's eight historic refugee sites, causing panic among the population and displaced families.
One resident, Zaik Mohammad, said the tanks' advance was a complete surprise. "Some people couldn't leave and remained trapped inside their homes, appealing to be allowed out, while others rushed out with whatever they could carry as they fled," Mohammad said, 25, who lives one kilometre away from the targeted area.
Tens of thousands of Palestinian residents have been told to evacuate the areas, fuelling fears that they may never be allowed to return. In attacks overnight and into Monday, medics said seven people were killed in Nuseirat in two separate Israeli airstrikes, one that hit a tent encampment. In the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, where Israeli forces have operated since October 5, medics said four people were killed in an Israeli airstrike. At Kamal Adwan Hospital near Beit Lahiya, medics said Israeli fire from a drone wounded three medical workers in the facility.
Israeli forces have besieged the three hospitals in and around Jabalia for several weeks and hospital officials have refused orders to evacuate the facilities or leave their patients unattended despite the lack of food, medical, and fuel supplies. The Israeli military accuses Hamas of exploiting Gaza's civilian population for military purposes, a charge the Palestinian group denies.
On Monday, the Israeli military said it had expanded the "humanitarian zone" in the enclave. It also said it would allow more tents, shelter materials, food, water, and medical supplies to enter. Its forces "will continue to work to achieve the war's objectives, including dismantling Hamas and returning all the abductees," it said.
Palestinian and United Nations officials say there are no safe areas in the enclave, home to more than 2.1 million people and now largely in ruins. Israel's military campaign has levelled much of Gaza and killed around 43,500 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say. — Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
