Israel kills children in intensifying attacks on Gaza over past day
Israeli attacks on Gaza have escalated in the last 24 hours, with five Palestinians killed, the Palestinian health ministry is reporting.
On Tuesday morning, at least seven air strikes hit an area west of Gaza City within a 10-minute period, killing a child, while Israeli soldiers opened fire in Deir el-Balah, killing another child.
Al Jazeera described chaotic scenes in Gaza City following "intense" Israeli attacks, reporting that 10 blasts were heard in al-Kateeba - one of the city's most densely populated areas.
Palestinian journalist Abdulrahman Ismail reported in a post on X that the attacks in Gaza City targeted an area "near a field hospital and thousands of tents sheltering displaced Palestinians".
"Quadcopter drones then surrounded the area, opening fire and dropping explosives at anyone moving, as the sound of clashes echoed nearby. Israeli drones simultaneously spread across Gaza City, while smoke bombs were reported over Al-Shati," Ismail said.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
He added that the scenes bore "a disturbing resemblance to previous incidents involving Israeli special forces operating on the ground, but what exactly unfolded remains unclear".
Ismail said that people remain trapped in the area.
Mai Elawawda, Medical Aid for Palestine's communications officer in Gaza, said: "Israeli military attacks have not stopped all week. We are all constantly stressed that anywhere can be evacuated or attacked by Israeli forces at any moment."
So far, more than 73,400 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the genocide in October 2023.
Aid groups warn that the onset of the rainy season could further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis. Most people now live in overcrowded tent camps amid rubble and overflowing sewage.
The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that there had already been a clear deterioration in the quality of water reaching the population in recent months, while the number of diarrhoea cases was surging.
"Whilst we fail to provide people with the minimum quantities of water, water quality and water contamination remains a major issue," said Reinhilde Van de Weerdt, the WHO's representative in the Palestinian territories.
Data from the United Nations, European Union and World Bank shows that Israel has destroyed or damaged nearly 90 percent of water and sanitation infrastructure in Gaza.
Testing of some 6,700 water samples over the first eight months of the year indicated that "microbiological contamination almost tripled", Van de Weerdt told reporters in Geneva.
The tests showed contamination had gone from under six percent in January to over 18 percent in August.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
