Israeli Tanks Push Deeper into Gaza, as Biden Urges Peace
Editor
22 August 2024 21:42 WIB
TANKS AND DRONES
In the central Gaza town of Deir Al-Balah, which houses around 1 million residents and displaced Palestinians, according to the municipal council, residents said tanks advanced further from the east and blocked some roads connecting the city with the nearby Khan Younis in the south.
Israeli tanks have also advanced to the west, in Al-Karara and Hamad areas of Khan Younis, pushing more families out of their shelters and tents, sometimes under heavy fire from tanks and drones, residents said.
Some families slept on the roads, others on the beach after they failed to find space or shelter.
"Last night drones began firing towards the tents, we ducked down, for maybe hours, then the noise of tanks got louder as they advanced closer, so we decided to run," Imad Al-Ghalayeeni, 48, told Reuters by phone from Khan Younis.
"We are five families, 48 persons, we ran to the beach, some slept on the road, others slept onshore, just on the sand with no tents, no blankets or mattresses and you can imagine how terrified were the children and women," he added.
Ghalayeeni said there was growing disillusionment among Palestinians in Gaza about the ceasefire talks.
"These talks are time-wasting, and they aim to give Netanyahu the time he needs to continue what he is doing. There is no place the tanks didn't enter, or bomb, and there is nowhere safe anymore," he said.
Most of Gaza's 2.3 million population has been displaced multiple times since the start of the war. Even in areas designated safe zones, there have been regular reports of casualties from Israeli strikes.
In a hospital in the northern Gaza camp of Jabalia, health officials said they were forced to suspend several services in the facility, except for lifesaving treatment, after they ran out of fuel.
Israel's military campaign has killed more than 40,000 people in Gaza since October, according to Palestinian health authorities.
The war began on Oct. 7 when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities and military bases, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
REUTERS
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