By Abdul Salam Fayez
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Thousands of Palestinians are enduring a fifth consecutive day of an Israeli blockade in the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Hanoun, as they face a severe shortage of necessities including water and food, the Gaza Media Office said Thursday.
“The Israeli army’s incursion in the Jabalia refugee camp has resulted in dozens of pleas from residents of Beit Hanoun city, who have been cut off from life for the fifth consecutive day,” it said in a statement.
It said thousands of Palestinians have not received “necessities since the start of the Israeli military operation in Jabalia camp on Wednesday.”
“The people also suffer from the effects of heavy shelling and intense gunfire on the eastern side of Jabalia camp, resulting in injuries without any medical points or hospitals to treat them in the city,” it added.
Israel continued a brutal offensive on Gaza despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
More than 35,200 Palestinians have since been killed, the vast majority being women and children, and over 79,200 injured since early October following an attack by Hamas.
More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul