More than 100 killed in Gaza in last 24 hours; 25 NGOs asked to stop incursions into Rafah

first Amendment: 02/21/2024 – 13:24

4 minutes

The deaths and destruction in Gaza Strip are not stopping. Artillery attacks and shelling left by Israeli soldiers till At least 118 Palestinians killed in last 24 hours,

“The Israeli occupation led to 11 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, leaving 118 people dead and 163 injured During the last 24 hours,” the local health ministry said.

One attack hit a residential building in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, where 17 people were killed, whose bodies were wrapped in blankets and taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

Local officials insisted that four women and four children were among those killed in that attack. Behind every figure is the suffering of thousands of families: Total number of deaths increased to 29,313 The Gaza Health Ministry said this on Wednesday.

apart fromSince October 7, 69,333 people have been injured in Israeli attacks. In an enclave where there are minimal hospitals left to care for serious injuries.

The incidents come as Israeli troops have stepped up their attacks in the south of the enclave, although have not stopped attacking the rest of the besieged strip.

The situation could be worsened by a covert full-scale incursion by Israeli ground forces into Rafah, a city at the southern end of the strip on the Egyptian border, where most Gazans were forced to relocate under false promises of security. To escape the bombing.

The Hamas group’s last strongholds may be hiding in a city it promised to “eliminate” after the Islamist movement’s deadly attack four months ago that killed nearly 1,200 people and displaced about 240, according to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Was kidnapped. , After a week-long ceasefire in November 2023, more than 100 hostages remain in Gaza.

Last Monday, February 19, the Netanyahu administration warned that if Hamas’s remaining prisoners were not freed, its forces would launch a massive incursion into Rafah next month. There will be a combination of full attack With the holy date of Ramzan.

25 NGOs urge to stop Israeli army’s ground incursion in Rafah

In a statement published this Wednesday, February 21, 25 non-governmental organizations called on governments around the world to intervene to stop and halt the offensive by Israeli ground troops in Rafah.

In this sense, NGOs also urge to avoid the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, a scenario which they point out would be tragic for the population.

Organizations including Action Against Hunger, ActionAid, Amnesty International, Handicap International, Doctors of the World and War Child said, “We are horrified by the prospect of a ground offensive in Rafah, which would be absolutely dramatic for the people there”.

Of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants, 1.5 to 1.7 million live in Rafah., caught in the middle of air attacks. This is the southern end of the enclave. They now have nowhere to run, with some even setting up tents on the last meters of land where a fence separates them from the border with Egypt.

Although the Israeli military promised “evacuation” to “reduce” the cost of civilian life, as part of its promises to the United States, Gazans are prohibited from leaving their territory, so it It is not clear where they will be moved if the intention is to keep them safe.

These are people who have had to flee several times over the past four months, since the Israeli offensive began, which began in the north and spread throughout the Gaza Strip.

NGOs emphasize that forced transfers, such as those taking place in Palestinian enclaves, are “violations of international humanitarian law” and demonstrate that Israeli orders to “evacuate” large areas of Gaza are About 85 people have been displaced. % of the population of that Palestinian territory.

With Reuters, AP and EFE