At least 15 people were killed in Gaza on Tuesday due to Israeli airstrikes, according to the territory’s civil defence agency. The strikes intensified as the Israeli military expanded its ground offensive into Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
Civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 13 people lost their lives in a strike on the Al-Shati refugee camp, located west of Gaza City, with over 50 others injured.
The Al-Shati camp, situated along the Mediterranean coast, is densely populated with displaced families who fled northern Gaza during the 21-month-long conflict.
Raed Bakr, 30, who resides in the camp with his three children, recounted the horror “Around 1:40 a.m., I heard a massive explosion. Our tent was torn apart. It felt like a nightmare—fire, smoke, body parts flying, and the children screaming.”
His wife had previously been killed in an earlier attack. Due to fuel shortages, residents had to carry the wounded by foot as no vehicles or carts were available.
Another resident, Muhannad Thabet, 33, described the bombardment as “a night of terror,” noting the constant airstrikes and explosions. He said he carried a six-year-old child to Shifa Hospital, which is now overwhelmed by the wounded.
Two additional deaths were reported in Deir el-Balah, where the Israeli army recently announced the expansion of its ground campaign. Tens of thousands have been ordered to evacuate from the area.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates between 50,000 and 80,000 people are living in or near Deir el-Balah, including 30,000 in displacement camps.
AFP footage showed heavy smoke rising above the city as surveillance drones hovered overhead.
OCHA also reported that nearly 88% of Gaza is now either under evacuation orders or inside militarized zones, pushing the 2.4 million residents into shrinking, overcrowded areas.
AFP
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