Dozens killed, wounded in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City

By Mohammed Majed

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Dozens of Palestinians were killed and injured due to Israeli airstrikes on areas of Gaza City, the Gaza Civil Defense Agency announced Sunday.

“There are dozens of martyrs, injured and trapped people in residential areas in the al-Daraj, Tuffah and Old City neighborhoods due to the Israeli occupation's insane bombing of these areas,” Mahmoud Basal, the agency’s spokesperson, said in a press release.

“The Israeli army targeted inhabited homes on Yafa Street in Gaza City, resulting in martyrs and people trapped under the rubble.

"Israeli bombardments and warnings to evacuate areas have driven residents to flee to an uncertain fate, as there are no safe places for them to seek refuge," he added.

Basal confirmed that "the initial moments of the Israeli bombing were terrifying, with insane targeting for half an hour in the area, resulting in large numbers of casualties and martyrs."

He noted that they received pleas from residents in areas of Gaza City for evacuation, but they could not reach them due to the bombing.

Earlier in the day, Israeli aircraft and artillery targeted areas of Gaza City, injuring dozens of Palestinians and displacing thousands of families.

On Sunday, the Israeli army ordered residents and displaced people in the Tuffah, al-Daraj and Old City neighborhoods to immediately evacuate to shelters in the western part of the city.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

More than 38,150 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 87,800 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala