Israeli army advances near shelter schools, hospital in northern Gaza amid onslaught

By Hosni Nadim

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Israeli army forces advanced Thursday near the Indonesian Hospital and two shelters for displaced civilians in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip amid a major offensive in the area, according to witnesses.

The Israeli army ordered displaced civilians in Tal al-Zaatar and Tal al-Rabi schools in al-Fakhour neighborhood to leave amid a mass exodus in the area, witnesses said.

Israeli artillery also shelled several areas in northern Gaza, including Sheikh Zayed Roundabout, Beit Lahia Project, and the Jabalia refugee camp.

The Israeli army has continued a deadly onslaught in northern Gaza since Oct. 5 to allegedly prevent Hamas from regrouping amid a suffocating siege on the area. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

Since then, no humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and fuel, was allowed by the Israeli army into the area, leaving most of the population there on the verge of imminent starvation.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in northern Gaza since the offensive began, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense Service.

The onslaught was the latest episode in a brutal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas attack last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Over 43,100 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 101,500 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar