Israel-Palestine war: First week ends with over 2,500 Palestinians, 1,400 Israelis killed

Ezra Yachin, a 95-year-old who served as a combat soldier and was involved in the Deir Yassin massacre, has been drafted in “to motivate” Israeli army troops amidst the ongoing bombardment of Gaza.

The massacre occurred when Zionist groups went house to house, killing over 100 Palestinians in the small village of Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, on 9 April 1948.
 

An Israeli army spokesperson told Anadolu that they had no information confirming allegations that "Hamas beheaded babies”.

Many international media outlets alleged that Hamas had murdered 40 babies, following a tour in Israel with journalists and the Israeli army.

When Anadolu contacted the Israeli army spokesperson unit over the phone and asked about the allegations, she said: "We have seen the news, but we do not have any details or confirmation about that." 
 

Palestine's foreign ministry has accused Israel of using banned white phosphorus during its bombardment of Gaza on Tuesday.

The incendiary weapon was reportedly used during attacks on the al-Karama complex, a collection of residential towers in northern Gaza, which housed hundreds of families.

"Israeli warplanes and artillery use internationally #prohibited_white_phosphorus, destroying #Al_Karama neighborhood in the northwest of Gaza City with a continuous series of airstrikes," the ministry wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday night.

"There are casualties and wounded, while ambulances and civil defense vehicles are unable to reach the area due to the intensity of the airstrikes and the destruction of the leading roads," the post continued.

Middle East Eye's sources on the ground reported seeing scenes consistent with past Israeli white phosphorus use in Gaza, including during the 2008 conflict. The accusations could not be independently verified by MEE.

Read more: Palestinians report Israeli use of 'white phosphorus' in Gaza

Israel’s army confirmed that it targeted the Islamic University of Gaza, saying that “Hamas transformed an institute of knowledge into an institute of destruction,” and that the university was “a training camp for weapons development and military intelligence”.

The university is one of the biggest in Gaza, and was the first higher education institution to be established in the besieged enclave. 

The university, which has over 10,000 students enrolled, awards degrees and PhDs in economics, engineering, arts and information technology, among other courses.

Video footage shared online showed air strikes targeting the university, causing heavy damage. 

Speaking from Amman, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said Jordanians will “not abandon their role, regardless of the great challenges ahead”.

He added that Jordan will be steadfast in “defending the holy sites of Jerusalem”.
 

Israel-based journalist and MEE contributor Oren Ziv says that there is no evidence to show that Hamas beheaded babies. 

In news reports, Israeli broadcaster I24 and The Jewish Chronicle said that up to 40 Israeli babies were found murdered, some beheaded. The news was picked up by international media, making headlines in many news outlets.

However, Ziv, who was on the tour with other journalists, said there was no evidence of this, and the army spokesperson or commanders also didn’t mention any such incidents.

“During the tour, journalists were allowed to speak to the hundreds of soldiers on site, without the supervision of the army's spokesperson team. I24 reporter said she heard it from soldiers,” Ziv said in a series of online posts. 

“Soldiers I spoke with in Kfar Aza yesterday didn't mention 'beheaded babies'. The army's spokesperson stated: 'We can not confirm at this point… we are aware of the heinous acts Hamas is capable of,'” he added.

Marc Owen Jones, a disinformation and digital media expert, said that the unconfirmed report about 40 murdered babies had at least 44 million impressions, 300k likes, over 100k reposts, despite the fact the original report never claimed 40 babies were decapitated.

Long-range missiles, which have a range of 30-40 kilometres, have been used on Gaza over the last few days, according to reports. 

The missiles are advanced and are very accurate. 

Reports state that this is the first time they have been used in Gaza, and were last used in Lebanon in 2006.

The al-Karama neighbourhood, a densely populated and mainly residential part of Gaza, has been completely demolished by Israeli air strikes. 

Survivors have been forced to leave, seeking shelter elsewhere as Israel continues to pound the area.

Emergency services have not been able to reach the neighbourhood due to ongoing bombing and difficulty reaching the area.

Medical surgeon, doctor Ghassan Abu Sitta, who works at the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, says that the situation is only getting worse, and that hospitals are struggling to cope with the magnitude of the disaster. 

“I am sleeping in the office because the situation outside is not safe, it is a catastrophic situation here, over 4,000 people are wounded. The siege is destructive and has become more difficult in the last year, it is not allowing us to have medical tools,” he said in a video posted on Instagram.

“Most of the hospitals here in Gaza have a crisis in the lack of tools and equipment and the air strikes are ongoing. Some of our staff here have had their homes demolished and they have gone to check on their homes and then come back to work.

“People are coming to the hospital because they have nowhere else to go. The situation is only getting worse with the complete blockade and cutting off of fuel, food and aid,” he added.  

Palestine’s Ministry of Health announced that the death toll has climbed to 1,055, with around 5,184 wounded.

In the West Bank, around 130 people have been wounded.

Israel's bombardment on Gaza is still ongoing for the fifth consecutive day. Entire neighbourhoods have been flattened, with people trying to recover dead bodies from under the rubble.
 

The Palestinian Health Ministry says that the Palestinian death toll has now reached 974.

Around 5,000 Palestinians have been wounded in the bombardment.
 

Gaza has been transformed into an apocalyptic scene as continued Israeli bombing has levelled residential towers, universities and entire neighbourhoods.

Large numbers of families have been wiped out in the bombings and air strikes.

Hezbollah says it has caused “a large number of confirmed casualties”  in the missile attack on an Israeli army post on the Lebanon border. 

Hezbollah also carried out a separate attack on two Israeli army vehicles. 

Alarms are currently sounding near the Lebanese border, as tensions escalate. 

Translation: Hezbollah informed the Lebanese army and the international peacekeeping forces UNIFIL to evacuate all sites on the Israeli border immediately.
 

Palestine’s Ministry of Health says that 60 percent of the wounded are children and elderly.

Hamas has issued a statement saying that they “do not target children” and instead targeted the “Zionist military and security system.”

The movement condemned Western media outlets, which they said “unprofessionally adopt the Zionist narrative full of lies and slander against our Palestinian people and their resistance.”