CAIRO: Israeli forces sent tanks into the western side of Gaza’s Nuseirat camp on Monday in a new incursion into the enclave’s central area, as Palestinian medics said Israeli military strikes have killed at least 30 people since Sunday night.

Residents said Israeli tanks opened fire as they rolled into that sector of the camp, one of the Gaza Strip’s eight historic refugee sites, causing panic among the population and displaced families.

One resident, Zaik Mohammad, said the tanks’ advance was a complete surprise.

“Some people couldn’t leave and remained trapped inside their homes, appealing to be allowed out, while others rushed out with whatever they could carry as they fled,” Mohammad, 25, who lives one kilometre away from the targeted area said.

Hamas, allies claim to have carried out ambushes, anti-tank rocket attacks, killing several Israeli soldiers

Tens of thousands of Palestinian residents have been told to evacuate the areas, fueling fears that they may never be allowed to return.

The already slim chances of a ceasefire receded further at the weekend when mediator Qatar said it was suspending its efforts until both Israel and Hamas showed greater willingness to reach an agreement.

In attacks overnight and into Monday, health officials at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said 20 people were killed in a series of strikes from air and the ground, one that hit a tent encampment.

In the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, where Israeli forces have operated since Oct 5, medics said four people were killed in an Israeli air strike. Others were killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza City at Kamal Adwan Hospital near Beit Lahiya, medics said. Israeli drone strike wounded three medical workers in the facility.

There was no Israeli comment on Monday’s attacks.

While the Israeli military earlier claimed it killed an ally of Hamas, Mohammad Abu Skhail, in a strike on Saturday at a command centre inside a school in Gaza City, Palestinian medics said the attack killed six people.

Hospital siege

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have besieged the three hospitals in and around Jabalia for several weeks as hospital officials have refused orders to evacuate the facilities or leave their patients unattended despite the lack of food, medical, and fuel supplies.

The Israeli military accuses Hamas of exploiting Gaza’s civilian population for military purposes, a charge the group denies. The Israeli army sent tanks into Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun, and Jabalia camp in northern Gaza over a month ago. It claimed to have killed hundreds of militants in Jabalia and around it since then.

On the other hand, Hamas and its allies claimed to have carried out ambushes, mortar fire, and anti-tank rocket attacks, killing several Israeli soldiers.

On Monday, the Israeli military said it had expanded the “humanitarian zone” in the enclave.

Palestinian and United Nations officials say there are no safe areas in the enclave, home to more than 2.1 million people and now largely in ruins.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2024