By Mustafa Haboush
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army continues with relentless genocide crimes in the Gaza Strip at the beginning of the Eid al-Fitr holiday Wednesday, according to the Gaza Media Office
"Gaza observes Eid al-Fitr with more sorrow, grief, and pain, amid the ongoing crimes committed by the Israeli occupation army, and the continuation of the genocide and ethnic cleansing war,'' the office said in a statement.
The holiday marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
The statement highlighted that despite the festive occasion to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the Israeli occupation army carried out criminal and military actions in Gaza, including the presence of warplanes flying above the enclave and tanks continuously targeting areas.
Furthermore, the statement condemned Israeli actions as ''a clear disregard for the sentiments of Muslims and the Palestinian people.''
It lamented that the occupation succeeded in depriving Gaza residents of experiencing the joy of celebrating Eid al-Fitr.
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, which killed less than 1,200 people.
More than 33,300 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 76,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
The Israeli war, now in day 186, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul