The Israeli bombardment on Gaza continues, resulting in dozens of martyrs and casualties in both central and southern regions, including Rafah, where the Israeli occupation army confirmed carrying out a military operation.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported the martyrdom of 18 individuals in an Israeli airstrike on a residential apartment in the Jenin neighborhood in eastern Rafah and on a house in the Nasr neighborhood north of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
Simultaneously with the bombardment on Rafah, the Israeli occupation army confirmed a military operation there. Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper stated that preparations for the Rafah operation had begun weeks ago, with the army already approving a plan that includes the necessity of evacuating the displaced.
Meanwhile, the official Israeli broadcasting authority mentioned that the military operation in Rafah would commence after completing a “comprehensive evacuation” of civilians from the city and its suburbs.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office stated that Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the Israeli army to prepare a dual plan, involving a path for evacuating Palestinians in the Rafah area and “crushing” the brigades of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) there.
Sniper Bullets
In a related context, an Al Jazeera correspondent reported that a Palestinian woman succumbed to injuries inflicted by Israeli sniper bullets outside the entrance to the Nasser Medical Complex, coinciding with clashes and Israeli artillery shelling in the vicinity of the complex.
Earlier, a Palestinian was martyred by Israeli sniper bullets outside the complex.
Israeli artillery shelling on the square of Nasser Medical Complex (west of Khan Yunis city) resulted in casualties and injuries, while Israeli occupation vehicles surrounded the complex.
The Israeli army shelled houses surrounding the complex in Khan Yunis and fired towards the hospital buildings.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that Israeli forces stormed the Hope Hospital affiliated with the organization in Khan Yunis, expressing concern over the safety of its teams, the wounded, and patients as communication was lost with the hospital.
Amidst the Gaza Strip, an Al Jazeera correspondent reported the martyrdom of 11 individuals and the injury of others, including children, in an Israeli aerial bombardment on a residential block in the Zawaida town.
Yesterday, an Al Jazeera correspondent reported the martyrdom of 9 Palestinians and the injury of 11 others who were brought to the Muhmadiyeh Hospital following targeted sniper fire by Israelis in the southwest of the Gaza Strip, at a time when Israeli discussions about a potential military operation in the Rafah area are escalating.
