‘Another night of massacre’ in Gaza as Israel widens offensive
camp, said thousands have fled their homes in recent days because of the intense bombardment. He plans to DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza remain there because he Strip — Israeli forces bomdoesn’t feel that anywhere barded cities, towns and in Gaza is safe. refugee camps across Gaza “Here is death and there overnight and into Thursday, is death,” he said, “To die in killing dozens of people in your home is better.” a widening air and ground Bureij and Nuseirat are offensive against Hamas that among several camps across has forced thousands more the region that were built to flee from homes and shelto house hundreds of thouters in recent days. sands of Palestinian refu
The war has already killed gees from the 1948 war surover 20,000 Palestinians rounding Israel’s creation. and driven around 85% of They have since grown into the population of 2.3 million crowded residential neighfrom their homes. Much of borhoods. northern Gaza has been levSome 700,000 Palestineled, and it has been largely ian fled or were driven from depopulated and isolated home in the northern town showed Thursday. Nonstop their homes during that confrom the rest of the territory of Beit Lahiyeh — one of the explosions could be heard flict, an exodus the Palestinfor weeks. Many fear a sim- first targets of the ground throughout the night in the ians refer to as the Nakba, or ilar fate awaits the south as invasion that began in Octo- town — where hundreds of catastrophe. Some 1.9 million Israel expands its offensive ber — buried at least 21 peo- thousands of people have have been displaced within to most of the tiny enclave. ple, including women and sought shelter, with many Gaza since Oct. 7.
Israel has vowed to dis- children, according to a fam- spending cold nights sleepAs Israel has broadened its mantle Hamas — which is still ily member. ing on sidewalks. offensive, fleeing Palestinians putting up stiff resistance — Bassel Kheir al-Din, a jour“It was another night of have packed into areas along and bring back more than nalist with a local TV station, killing and massacres,” said the Egyptian border and 100 hostages still held by said the strike flattened his Saeed Moustafa, a resident the southern Mediterranean the militants after their Oct. family house and severely of the Nuseirat camp. He coastline, where shelters and 7 attack into southern Israel, damaged three neighbor- said people were still cry- tent camps are overflowing. in which some 1,200 people, ing homes. He said 12 mem- ing out from the rubble of Even in those areas, Israel mostly civilians, were killed. bers of his family — includ- a house hit by an airstrike continues to strike what it
Israeli officials have ing three children aged 2, on Wednesday. says are militant targets. brushed off calls for a cease- 7 and 8 — were buried and are unable to get them The Israeli military blames fire, saying it would amount presumed dead, and that out. We hear their screams the high civilian death toll to a victory for Hamas. nine neighbors were missing. but we don’t have equip- on Hamas, which positions
The United States — while In central Gaza, Israeli ment,” he said. fighters, tunnels and rocket providing crucial support for warplanes and artillery Farther south, in Khan launchers in dense residenthe offensive — has urged pounded the built-up Bureij Younis, the Palestinian Red tial areas. But the military Israel to take greater mea- and Nuseirat refugee camps, Crescent said a strike near rarely comments on indisures to spare civilians leveling buildings, residents its Al-Amal Hospital killed at vidual strikes. and allow in more aid. But said. Israel said this week least 10 people and wounded Israel’s offensive has been humanitarian workers say it would expand its ground another 12. Much of the city’s one of the most devastating the amount of food, fuel offensive into central Gaza, population has left, but many military campaigns in recent and medical supplies enter- and typically launches waves are sheltering near Al-Amal history. More than 21,300 ing is still far below what is of airstrikes and shelling and another hospital, hop- Palestinians, most of them needed, and 1 in 4 Palestin- before troops and tanks ing they will be spared from women and children, have ians in Gaza are starving, move in. the bombardment. been killed, according to the according to U.N. officials. A hospital in the nearby Health Ministry in Hamastown of Deir al-Balah ruled Gaza. Another 55,600 received the bodies of 25 peo- have been wounded, it says. ple killed overnight, includThose counts do not differing five children and seven entiate between civilians women, hospital records and combatants.
Strikes from north to south
An Israeli airstrike on a
Another wave of displacement
Rami Abu Mosab, who lives in the Bureij refugee