At least 39 people lost their lives following a series of Israeli airstrikes in four neighborhoods of Gaza City. Palestinian officials have confirmed the death toll and emphasized that rescue operations are still underway to search for survivors trapped under the rubble. Rescue groups in the conflict-stricken coastal enclave have warned that the death toll is likely to increase.
Fadel Naem, director of the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, reported to The Associated Press that more than three dozen bodies arrived at the hospital immediately after the airstrikes. The Israeli bombardment targeted neighborhoods in the north, south, east, and west of Gaza City, causing extensive damage. A significant crater was also reported in the densely populated Shati refugee camp in Western Gaza City. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated that its fighter jets struck two Hamas military infrastructure sites in Gaza City, though they did not provide further details.
Places of Refuge Under Attack
These latest airstrikes occurred just a day after another attack killed 25 people in Gaza. The United Nations has stated that there is “no place” in Gaza that is safe, and the humanitarian conditions in the region are extremely dire. On Friday, 22 of the 25 people killed were working for the International Commission for Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC’s office in Gaza, surrounded by displaced civilians living in tents, was damaged by nearby shelling. The humanitarian organization condemned the strikes, stating that such actions put the lives of civilians and humanitarians at risk.
The ICRC office in Gaza, which is surrounded by hundreds of displaced civilians living in tents, was damaged by nearby shelling in Gaza.
Firing so dangerously close to humanitarian structures puts the lives of civilians and humanitarians at risk. https://t.co/SVrwaQ9cNV
— ICRC (@ICRC) June 21, 2024
Rising Tensions in Lebanon and the West Bank
On the same day, the IDF conducted an airstrike in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, killing a member of the military wing of al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, a Sunni Muslim faction allied with Hamas. This marks the seventh militant killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
In the northern West Bank town of Qalqilya, an Israeli man was fatally shot amid the escalating violence in the region. While the West Bank is not directly involved in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, at least 549 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the war began. According to United Nations data, Palestinians in the West Bank have killed at least nine Israelis, including five soldiers, during the same period.
Israeli nationals are prohibited from entering Qalqilya and other areas of the West Bank under Palestinian Authority control, highlighting the severe restrictions and tensions in the area.