The Israeli occupation forces carried out massive blow-ups of residential buildings and civilian facilities in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip with the aim of leveling entire squares with the ground, in conjunction with raids launched by drones and warplanes on the Beit Lahia project in the north, Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, and Mawasi Khan Younis and Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
The continuous Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip resulted in the death of 4 Palestinians and the injury of dozens to varying degrees, raising the total toll of victims of the ongoing aggression since October 2023 to 73,032 dead and more than 173,000 injured, amid extremely complex humanitarian conditions accompanied by a severe shortage of safe drinking water and adequate shelter.
Arrest Campaigns in West Bank Cities and Camps
In the West Bank, the Israeli occupying forces launched a military campaign and large-scale raids classified as the most violent of its kind, in the governorates of Hebron, Bethlehem, Tubas, Ramallah and the outskirts of occupied Jerusalem, where dozens of Palestinians were arrested from their homes under flimsy allegations.
The field scene was foreshadowed by the storming of Al-Fawwar camp and the town of Sa'ir and conducting field investigations with citizens, coinciding with the arrest of dozens of people, the storming of the town of Kafr Qasim and the raid on houses.
On the destructive side, Israeli vehicles carried out demolitions on stalls, storefronts and homes of citizens in Khirbet Qalqas in Hebron, with notices issued to stop construction in several towns in Bethlehem, which is consistent with UN reports that monitored the forced displacement of dozens of citizens due to the destruction of their homes in the Barta'a enclave, located behind the Wall and the Green Line, as well as the escalation of attacks by settlers who attacked Palestinian villages, smashed vehicles, and attacked humanitarian relief teams with bullets and stones.
The escalation in the West Bank was not limited to the official military machine, but also witnessed a dangerous jump in the frequency and scale of organized attacks carried out by extremist settlers under the protection of the Israeli army.
Groups of armed settlers attacked several Palestinian villages and towns adjacent to the settlements, firing live bullets at citizens, smashing dozens of vehicles and burning agricultural crops, in addition to directly attacking humanitarian aid workers and paramedics with stones and sticks.
In occupied Jerusalem, large groups of settlers stormed the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque through the Maghreb Gate, and carried out provocative tours of public Talmudic rituals in the Eastern Province and in front of the Dome of the Rock under strict police and military protection.
Politically, the European Council called on Israel to open all crossings and lift restrictions on humanitarian relief items to avoid worsening famine, at a time when seven European countries have exerted political pressure on the Israeli government to curb the escalating settler violence in the West Bank.
These moves come amid political analyses that indicate Tel Aviv's quest to isolate the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in order to compensate for the decline in the intensity of fighting on other fronts with a political decision, and to put pressure on the popular incubator to impose a new geographical and political reality.
A full-fledged health disaster in the Gaza Strip
The humanitarian and health situation in the Gaza Strip has entered a critical stage, described as a full-fledged catastrophe as a result of the tightening of the siege and the closure of vital crossings.
Medical organizations within the Gaza Strip have issued final warnings of a complete shutdown of the remaining hospitals and health centers due to the acute and imminent shortage of fuel to run electric generators and the depletion of medicines and basic medical consumables, which threatens the lives of thousands of wounded, intensive care patients and premature deaths.
In overcrowded displacement camps and centres, living suffering has been terrifyingly exacerbated by the onslaught of a severe heat wave that has turned plastic and cloth tents into flaming ovens, causing an accelerated spread of skin diseases and intestinal epidemics among children, amid a complete absence of safe drinking water and basic health services, which intersects with reports from the World Food Programme that confirm the extent of real famine and acute malnutrition among the population.
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