Conflicts & War

20 dead, dozens wounded in Israeli bombings on southern Gaza

Jerusalem, Dec 12 (EFE).- Twenty people were killed and dozens injured on Tuesday as the Israeli military extended its bombings to southern Gaza regions designated as humanitarian zones, where displaced Palestinians have taken shelter.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli warplanes bombed several homes in the southern Rafah region, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge to escape the Israeli military strikes in northern Gaza.

“There are still missing people under the rubble,” the Palestinian news agency said.

Two more Palestinians died from an artillery bombardment of the Khan Younis city, which Israel considers a Hamas stronghold.

The Israeli army expanded its ground operation in the city a few days ago, sparking heavy armed combat.

The Palestinian news agency said Israeli troops launched attacks on areas surrounding Naser Hospital in Khan Younis as the sustained conflict, now spanning 67 days, persists despite mounting global pressure on Israel to cease the war and pursue a truce.

Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Ronen Bar visited Khan Yunis Monday night to demonstrate the military’s progress.

“We are deepening our gains in northern Gaza, the South, and underground,” Halevi said, praising the Israeli military for a “very impressive” achievement in “a complex urban area.”

Despite international calls to end the war or reduce attacks on Gaza, Israel has remained steadfast in its commitment to continue the offensive until Hamas is eliminated and some 137 hostages are freed from the captivity of the Islamist militant group.

More than 18,200 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli bombings on Gaza where the humanitarian situation is dire, with most hospitals either non-functional or providing minimal services due to fuel, medicine, and basic medical supply shortages. EFE

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