1,055 People Killed, 5,184 Injured Since Israel Counter Attack-Palestinian Official
LAGOS OCTOBER 11TH (NEWSRANGERS)-As Israeli forces intensify their counterattack on the Gaza Strip, civilians in the area have grown increasingly desperate and uncertain about their survival.
“The majority of the people here, when we hear news of any risk in our neighborhood, we evacuate,” Nour Swirki, a community activist in Gaza, told Insider. “But, in fact, there is no safe place at all in the Gaza Strip.”
Israel vowed a swift response after Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, carried out the worst attack on Israeli soil in history on Saturday. In addition to launching airstrikes and rocket attacks on the Gaza Strip, Israel is also now mobilizing for a ground operation that could devastate the civilian population in the region.
Swirki lived in the affluent Rimal neighborhood before she and her family fled to escape Israel’s airstrikes. The area, which has since been nearly razed to the ground, was a target for Israel because it housed some Hamas facilities, the Associated Press reported. But it was also home to media organizations, international aid groups, restaurants, and malls.
Swirki, 35, said that “when we evacuate from neighborhood to neighborhood, it’s still not safe.”
“And we cannot try to leave the Gaza Strip because there are clashes, and the crossing with Egypt has been attacked,” she added.
The Rafah crossing on Gaza’s border with Egypt is the only possible exit point from Gaza right now. The other exit is the Erez crossing, which borders Israel and is closed. The Rafah corridor was bombarded by Israeli forces earlier this week, preventing Palestinian civilians from evacuating the territory.
The crossing was still closed as of Wednesday morning, though US officials said they are in talks with Israel and Egypt to allow safe passage for Americans and civilians.
“We are killed here with no ability to do something,” Swirki said. “We can’t do anything against this situation. We are just waiting for our destiny. We are just waiting to die.”
In addition to its military response, Israel also cut off the supply of food, water, fuel, and electricity to Gaza, a move that some human-rights advocates say is a violation of international law.
“We are fighting human animals,” Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said when announcing the decision this week, “and we act accordingly.”
Israeli officials said more than 1,200 people in Israel have so far died as a result of Hamas’ attacks, including at least 22 Americans. About 2,900 were injured.
Hamas fighters targeted Israeli civilians — including women, children, and the elderly — in villages across southern Israel. They also attacked a music festival full of young people. Footage of the attack showed militants firing on festivalgoers and taking hostages.
When those who survived were evacuated, they were met with an apocalyptic scene: homes demolished, cars burned, and bodies strewn on the sides of roads.
Swirki said that many civilians in Gaza were “shocked” and “horrified” from “the very first hours of the Hamas attack.”
“And then we became terrified,” she added, “because we knew that Israel would not let it go easily.”
Palestinian officials said that at least 1,055 people have been killed and 5,184 injured since Israel launched its counterattack.
Reem Makhoul contributed to this report.
Business Insider
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Posted by News Rangers
on Oct 11 2023. Filed under International, National.
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