People flee from the northern Gaza Strip city of Jabalia, on Oct. 12, 2024. (Photo by Abdul Rahman Salama/Xinhua)
GAZA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Hamas-run media office accused on Sunday the Israeli army of killing more than 300 Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip over the past eight days.
In a press conference held at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah of central Gaza, Ismail al-Thawabta, head of the media office, described the situation in northern Gaza as "a systematic murder and a complete siege against civilians."
He added that the army is attempting to collapse the healthcare system with the aim of turning northern Gaza into a region of "complete destruction and devastation." Al-Thawabta noted that the army has prevented rescue teams from "retrieving bodies from the streets."
Al-Thawabta alleged that these actions are being carried out "systematically, deliberately, and with full support from the U.S. administration."
For its part, Hamas stated on Sunday that the continuation of Israeli military operation in northern Gaza is an "act of extermination," indifferent to any laws or obligations and based on American support.
Also on Sunday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said on social media platform X that continuous shelling, airstrikes, and armed clashes in northern Gaza have severely intensified over the past week, where over 400,000 people are seeking shelter.
"The Jabalia camp has been the most affected area, with reports of families trapped in areas of ongoing (Israeli) military operations. Humanitarian access to Jabalia continues to be denied," it added.
The Israeli army has been conducting a large-scale operation in Jabalia and surrounding areas since last Sunday and has imposed a siege on those areas.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed on Sunday that over the past day, IDF troops continued to operate throughout the Gaza Strip and have struck about 40 targets and killed dozens of militants.
Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 42,227, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Sunday. ■
People flee from the northern Gaza Strip city of Jabalia, on Oct. 12, 2024. (Photo by Abdul Rahman Salama/Xinhua)
People flee from the northern Gaza Strip city of Jabalia, on Oct. 12, 2024. (Photo by Abdul Rahman Salama/Xinhua)
A boy moves his belongings with a wheel chair in the northern Gaza Strip city of Jabalia, on Oct. 12, 2024. (Photo by Abdul Rahman Salama/Xinhua)
