As the escalation between Israel and the Palestinians continues into its second week, ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza targeting homes and residential buildings has resulted in the death of Jihad Mohaysin, the commander of National Security Forces in the Gaza Strip, along with members of his family, in addition to more Palestinian casualties. In response, the "Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades" announced that they "shelled the Re'im military base and the Sofah support site with rockets and mortars," and also attacked Ashkelon with a barrage of rockets, retaliating against the continued targeting of civilians by the Israeli army in Gaza. As a result, a group of residents from Tel Aviv, who were gathering outside the Israeli Ministry of Defense, rushed away after the sound of sirens.
Sirens were activated in Ashkelon, the industrial area in southern Ashkelon, Zikim, and Karmiya. The Gaza Ministry of Health announced that at least 3,785 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza due to Israeli strikes since October 7. Ashraf al-Qudra, the spokesperson for the ministry, stated in a press conference that "among the total casualties, 1,524 are children, 1,000 are women, and 120 are elderly, in addition to 12,493 others wounded, including 3,983 children and 3,300 women." Al-Qudra added that "44 healthcare workers have been killed in Gaza, while four hospitals and 14 primary healthcare centers are out of service." He continued, saying, "There is no stock of medications, medical supplies, or fuel in all hospitals in Gaza... We call on the international community to expedite the delivery of aid."
Media outlets affiliated with Hamas reported that "several Palestinians were killed or injured, including children, in an airstrike on a house in Khan Younis, southern Gaza." Al-Aqsa Radio, affiliated with Hamas, stated that four Palestinians were killed, and several others were injured in the airstrike. Palestinian media reported today that eight people were killed, and dozens more were injured in shelling on a house in the middle of Khan Younis, noting that the house is located in a densely populated neighborhood. Palestinian television announced that casualties were reported in an Israeli strike on a house in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza but did not specify the number of casualties.
This comes as Palestinian media reported that Israeli forces threatened to bombard three towers in Deir al-Balah in Gaza, which are being evacuated. It was noted that Israeli forces fired a warning missile at one of the towers in the city of Al-Zahra in Deir al-Balah in preparation for its destruction. A second warning missile targeted a second tower that contains a substantial number of residential apartments.
The Israel Defense Forces continue to carry out airstrikes across various parts of Gaza. During the strikes, the IDF, under the instruction of the General Security Service, destroyed hundreds of Hamas terrorist infrastructures, including dozens targeted in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood. These include hundreds of terrorist infrastructures that were struck, including rocket launch platforms. The Israeli army also released a video of its airstrikes on the Shuja'iyya neighborhood in Gaza.
The Israeli army spokesperson stated today that their forces eliminated dozens of members of the elite forces of Hamas today. He added via his account on the "X" platform (formerly Twitter) that over 10 members of this force were killed in a focused attack carried out by fighter jets. It was confirmed that warplanes targeted Raed Harb Yasin Abu Hilal, the commander of the "Popular Resistance Committees" in the Rafah area. Palestinian media reported late on Wednesday that 13 people had died, and others were injured in an Israeli strike west of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, specifying that the strike targeted the house of one of the families.
On the other hand, Palestinian news agency reported that Israeli aircraft have carried out a series of strikes in various parts of Gaza, targeting a house in Khan Younis in southern the Strip, resulting in the deaths of nine Palestinians and injuries to dozens. Israel is preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza in response to the attack launched by Hamas on October 7, which resulted in the death of at least 1,400 in Israel. Since then, Israeli forces have carried out the heaviest bombardment on Gaza, leading to the deaths of over 3,000 Palestinians and have imposed a complete blockade on the Strip, exacerbating anger among Palestinians in the West Bank.
