Israeli Strikes On Southern Gaza City Of Rafah Kill 22, Mostly Children, As US Advances Aid Package

Rafah, Gaza Strip (AP) Israeli raids on the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight killed 22 people, including 18 children, health authorities reported Sunday, as the US prepared to authorize billions of dollars in further military aid to Israel, a key ally.

Israel has conducted near-daily air assaults on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have sought safety from violence elsewhere. It has also threatened to expand its ground offensive against the Hamas militant group to the city on Egypt’s border, despite international pleas for restraint, especially from the United States.

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Israeli Strikes On Southern Gaza City Of Rafah Kill 22, Mostly Children, As US Advances Aid Package

“In the next few days, we will escalate political and military pressure on Hamas because it is the only way to free our hostages and accomplish victory. “We will deliver more and painful blows to Hamas – soon,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned in a statement. He did not provide any details.

The first Israeli strike in Rafah killed a man, his wife, and their three-year-old child, according to the adjacent Kuwaiti Hospital that received the bodies. The woman was pregnant, and physicians were able to save her baby, according to the hospital.

According to hospital records, the second strike killed 17 children and two women who were all members of the same extended family. Mohammed al-Beheiri stated that his daughter Rasha and her six children, the youngest of whom is 18 months old, were among those killed. Her husband’s second wife and their three children remained under the rubble, according to al-Beheiri.

According to local health professionals, the Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, decimated Gaza’s two major cities, and left a trail of ruin. Approximately 80% of the territory’s population has evacuated to other areas of the beleaguered coastal enclave.

The House of Representatives approved a $26 billion aid package on Saturday, including approximately $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza, which experts say is on the verge of famine. The Senate might vote on the measure as early as Tuesday, and President Joe Biden has promised to sign it quickly.

The fight, now in its seventh month, has caused regional instability, pitting Israel and the United States against Iran and other extremist organizations in the Middle East. This month, Israel and Iran exchanged direct fire, sparking fears of an all-out war between the old adversaries.

Tensions have also increased in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli troops killed two Palestinians who allegedly rushed a checkpoint with a knife and a gun near the southern West Bank town of Hebron early Sunday. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the two people slain were 18 and 19 years old and from the same household. According to the IDF, no Israeli personnel were harmed.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent rescue organization reported recovering 14 bodies during an Israeli raid on the Nur Shams urban refugee camp in the West Bank, which began late Thursday. Three Islamic Jihad members were slain, as was a 15-year-old child. The military says it killed ten militants at the camp and apprehended eight others. Nine Israeli soldiers and officers were wounded.

In a separate incident in the West Bank, an Israeli man was injured by an explosion on Sunday, according to the Magen David Adom rescue agency. A video circulating online depicts a guy approaching a Palestinian flag put in a field. When he kicks it, it appears to set off an explosive device.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israeli soldiers and settlers have murdered at least 469 Palestinians in the West Bank since the beginning of the Gaza conflict. Most have been slain during Israeli military incursions, which frequently result in gunfights or in violent protests.

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Israeli Strikes On Southern Gaza City Of Rafah Kill 22, Mostly Children, As US Advances Aid Package

The war in Gaza began with an extraordinary invasion into southern Israel on October 7, in which Hamas and other militants killed over 1,200 persons, the majority of whom were civilians, and kidnapped about 250 captives. According to Israel, militants continue to hold approximately 100 hostages as well as the corpses of more than 30 more.

Thousands of Israelis have marched to the streets, demanding new elections to replace Netanyahu and an agreement with Hamas to rescue the hostages. Netanyahu has vowed to prolong the battle until Hamas is defeated and all captives are released.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 34,097 Palestinians have died in the conflict, with another 76,980 injured. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its figure but says at least two-thirds were children and women. It further states that the true toll is likely higher because many dead are trapped beneath the rubble or in regions where medics cannot reach.

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Israeli Strikes On Southern Gaza City Of Rafah Kill 22, Mostly Children, As US Advances Aid Package

Israel accuses Hamas of civilian casualties since the militants operate in densely populated residential areas. The military rarely responds to individual strikes, which frequently murder women and children. The military claims to have killed over 13,000 Hamas fighters without presenting evidence.

SOURCE – (AP)