Israeli Bombing Claims 27 Lives in Ravaged Gaza’s Rafah
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - At least 27 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on residential buildings in Rafah, southern Gaza, exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian disaster, which has left victims trapped beneath the rubble.
Online footage captured locals attempting to douse fires and rescue survivors amidst billowing black smoke in Rafah, where two adjoining homes owned by the Abu Dhbaa and Ashour families were decimated. The city, sheltering tens of thousands since the recent truce collapse, witnessed the destruction.
Displaced people, previously directed by the Israeli military to move south for safety, found themselves in Rafah, compelled to sleep in makeshift shelters or on the streets, intensifying the crisis.
As per a new US intelligence assessment, nearly half of Israel's air-to-ground munitions used in the Gaza conflict since October 7 were unguided, termed as "dumb bombs."
In the latest onslaught of 18 strikes, Palestinian Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra reported 179 fatalities and 303 injuries within a day, with Israeli warplanes intensifying raids in northern and southern Gaza, targeting Khan Younis and Rafah specifically.
The death toll in Gaza, nearing 19,000 since the conflict's onset, includes 50,897 wounded individuals, as per the ministry's statistics.
Former State Department official Josh Paul, who resigned over Israel's arms transfers, condemned the use of unguided bombs, branding it "unconscionable" and urging an immediate halt to such practices.
Paul emphasized the gravity of supplying munitions to a regime accused of effectively "carpet-bombing urban areas," urging an end to American military assistance complicity in these alleged war crimes.
According to a CNN report on Wednesday, a US intelligence report says that 40 to 45 percent of the 29,000 air-to-ground munitions Israel has used in Gaza are bombs without guidance systems.
"The use of thousands of unguided bombs against such a small and densely populated area as Gaza puts the lie to any comparison between Israel's current operation and previous US military operations in the global war on terror,” Paul said on Thursday.
“American lethal military assistance to Israel for use in Gaza, and in any of the occupied territories, makes us complicit in these war crimes. It must end - and it must end now,” he said.
With nearly 85 percent of Gaza's residents displaced, the UN highlighted the dire conditions, revealing that nearly half of Gaza's population has congregated in Rafah.
The worsening weather compounds the plight of displaced Palestinians, with heavy rain and strong winds ravaging their already fragile living conditions, reported Reuters.
UNRWA's commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, disclosed the struggle to distribute aid as trucks are besieged by starving Palestinians, leading to immediate consumption of food supplies.
Representatives from Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) voiced the escalating challenge of sustaining life in Gaza amid the Israeli bombing and siege. Melanie Ward, MAP's CEO, emphasized the worsening conditions, attributing the crisis to the systematic denial of essential resources like food, water, medicine, and fuel to Gaza's civilian population. Ward painted a dire picture, foreseeing a potential catastrophic toll, particularly among children, estimating that indiscriminate Israeli bombing could result in the tragic loss of 10,000 children.
Paltel, a primary telecommunications provider in Gaza, announced a complete halt in its services due to the ongoing Israeli aggression. A message posted on X expressed regret and conveyed the cessation of all communication and internet services within Gaza, citing the relentless aggression.
Healthcare professionals emphasized the dire state of the health system in Gaza, highlighting the absence of vital necessities like food, water, and shelter, forewarning an imminent epidemic. James Elder, UNICEF's chief spokesperson, painted a grim picture, warning of the perfect conditions for disease outbreak and expressing concerns about the severity of its impact.
Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed alarming spikes in diarrhea cases, particularly among children under five, showing a 66 percent surge to 59,895 cases between November 29 and December 10. The overall population also witnessed a 55 percent climb in these cases, although the actual figures were deemed incomplete due to the collapse of systems and services in Gaza because of Israeli bombings.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Farra, head of the pediatric ward at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, detailed the overwhelming situation in his ward. He reported a surge in cases of extreme dehydration among children, resulting in kidney failure in some instances, with the rate of severe diarrhea soaring to four times higher than normal, highlighting the escalating health crisis.
