Israeli shelling killed 14 Palestinians on Thursday in Khan Younis, in a coastal area of southern Gaza full of people who had fled attacks elsewhere in the enclave, Gaza Health Ministry officials said.
Among the victims were nine children, an official told Reuters.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the attack, although they separately reported fighting and airstrikes against Hamas militants in the Kkan Younis area on Thursday.
Gaza residents also said Israeli planes and tanks shelled three refugee camps in the center of the destroyed enclave, in heavier attacks than in previous days.
The latest action comes as Israel’s war against Hamas nears the three-month mark, amid international concern that the conflict is spreading beyond Gaza into the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Hezbollah forces on the Lebanese-Israeli border and the maritime routes of the Red Sea. .
Fears increased after a drone strike killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, on Tuesday. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed Wednesday that his powerful Iran-backed Shiite militia “cannot remain silent” after the assassination.
Nasrallah said his forces would fight to the end if Israel decided to extend the war to Lebanon, but he made no concrete threats to act against Israel in support of its ally Hamas.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari declined to comment when asked what Israel was doing to prepare for a possible Hezbollah response, saying only: “We are focused on fighting Hamas.”
Since the start of the Gaza war, Hezbollah has been engaged in almost daily firefights with Israel across Lebanon’s southern border. But U.S. officials said Wednesday they saw few signs that Hezbollah was on the verge of escalating actions against Israel.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied Arouri’s killing, but has vowed to wipe out Hamas, which rules Gaza, after the Oct. 7 cross-border attack, in which Israel says 1,200 people died and about 240 were kidnapped.
Israel launched a land and air operation in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack, and the total number of recorded Palestinian deaths reached 22,313 on Wednesday – nearly 1% of the population of 2.3 million, according to the Health Ministry of Gaza.
Adding to the violence in the region, two explosions on Wednesday killed nearly 100 people at a memorial ceremony for the late Iranian general Qasem Soleimani at a cemetery in southeastern Iran where he is buried. No group has claimed responsibility.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading to the Middle East, including a stop in Israel, to continue “diplomatic consultations” on the Israel-Gaza conflict, a US official said.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
