Gaza rescuers say over 400 killed in two weeks of Israeli assault on territory’s north

GAZA STRIP: Gaza’s civil defence agency said Saturday more than 400 Palestinians were killed in the north of the territory over the past two weeks during an ongoing military assault Israel says is aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping.

The Israeli military launched a sweeping air and ground assault targeting northern Gaza on October 6. Since then, it has tightened its siege, which has displaced tens of thousands of people.

“We have recovered more than 400 martyrs from the various targeted areas in the northern Gaza Strip, including Jabalia and its camp, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, since the start of the military operation by the occupation army” on October 6, Gaza civil defence agency spokesman, Mahmud Bassal, told AFP.

“There are dozens of bodies scattered in the streets of Jabalia due to continuous shelling.”

Israeli strikes kill 32 in Gaza, siege around hospitals tightens, health officials say

The Israeli military press department when contacted by AFP said it was “checking” the reports.

Bassal said the death toll from the Israeli operation up to Friday was 386.

“In addition to that we had 33 martyrs from a massacre in Jabalia. So, the total is now more than 400 martyrs in northern Gaza,” he said, referring to an Israeli air strike on Jabalia refugee camp overnight Friday to Saturday.

Bassal said the dead included women, children and the elderly.

“They were all transferred to the northern Gaza Strip hospitals of Kamal Adwan, Al-Awda and Indonesian,” said Bassal.

“There are a number of pleas from families being bombed inside Jabalia camp… but it is difficult for our teams to reach the bombed sites,” Bassal said.

In several areas, communication and internet networks have been cut off, making it difficult for rescue teams to reach those in need of help.

“This affects the ability of citizens to contact our teams and other medical services,” Bassal added.

On October 6, the Israeli military launched an intense assault on Jabalia, which it later expanded to other areas of north Gaza amid claims that Hamas was regrouping in the area.

So far, it has said “dozens of fighters” have been killed in the operation, which aid agencies have warned was leading to a fresh humanitarian crisis in the territory.

“In the Jabalia area, IDF troops eliminated several fighters in close-quarters encounters and IAF (air force) strikes,” the military said in a statement on Saturday.

The Israeli military has defended the campaign in northern Gaza, saying its forces were targeting “terrorists embedded inside civilian areas”, and accusing Hamas of preventing residents from fleeing.