Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza Strip Continue
PALESTINE – At least 27 Palestinians were on Sunday killed and others inured as Israeli airstrikes on Gaza Strip continue.
Four Palestinians were killed and several others were injured when Israeli warplanes struck a residential apartment in the al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City.
Israeli forces also killed eight Palestinians, including children, and wounded dozens more after striking a gathering of civilians near the Hamza Mosque in the same neighborhood.
Another Israeli attack on several houses killed five Palestinians and injured others in the city’s al-Sabra neighborhood. The number of casualties is expected to rise as civil defense teams continue efforts to retrieve victims trapped under the rubble.
In a separate strike, the Israeli army killed a Palestinian woman and wounded others after shelling a civilian gathering in Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in southwestern Gaza City.
In the town of al-Mughraqa, north of Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man in an airstrike targeting civilians, local sources said.
In central Gaza, Israeli shelling near an UNRWA medical clinic killed seven Palestinians, including four children, and wounded others in the Bureij refugee camp.
Israeli Military Vehicle Overturns near Gaza City, 10 Injured
10 Israeli soldiers were injured Sunday morning when a military Humvee overturned on the outskirts of Gaza City, according to Israeli media.
Army Radio reported that the vehicle flipped around north of the Gaza Strip, without specifying the cause.
The Walla news site said all 10 soldiers were hurt in the crash, with two flown by helicopter to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem and eight others taken by ambulance.
Channel 7 reported that the wounded soldiers belonged to the Kfir Brigade. The army said it had opened an investigation into the incident.
In recent days, the Israeli army has deployed thousands of soldiers into Gaza City as part of its wider push to reoccupy the enclave. Citing military sources, Walla estimated that nearly 70,000 Israeli troops are now operating in the city.
West Bank Mayor Detained by Israeli Forces
Israeli forces detained the mayor of a northern West Bank town Saturday, the latest in a string of arrests targeting Palestinian officials since August, according to Palestinian media.
Palestinian state television reported that troops raided the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan, near the city of Salfit, and arrested Ibrahim Asi, along with a bulldozer driver, identified as Galib Reyyan. The soldiers also seized the bulldozer.
The two men were reportedly detained for attempting to remove a large concrete block that the Israeli army had placed at the entrance to the town.
Residents said the block, along with an iron gate also installed by Israel, has narrowed the road and made vehicle passage dangerous, causing several traffic accidents.
Asi is the fifth Palestinian mayor to be arrested in the occupied West Bank since Aug. 23.
In the past month, Israeli forces have also detained Amin Abu Alia, the mayor of al-Mughayyir; Tayseer Abu Sneineh, mayor of Hebron (Al-Khalil); Nafiz Hammoudeh, mayor of Qubeiba and Abdul Fattah Abu Ali, mayor of Silat al-Zahr.
Since Israel launched its assault on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem have witnessed a sharp escalation in Israeli raids, arrests and attacks against Palestinians.
