110 Palestinians killed overnight in Israeli attacks across Gaza Strip
RELIGIONS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA) – At least 110 Palestinians including women and children were killed in Israeli attacks overnight on various parts of the Gaza Strip, marking the 18th day of an offensive on Gaza.
Total number of Palestinians killed has increased to 5,087, 40 percent killed are children and 15,273 have been injured since October 7, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health said..
Israeli warplanes continued to strike various areas across the Gaza Strip throughout the night, the Al-Aqsa satellite channel said on Telegram.
“Israeli attacks tonight in various areas of the Gaza Strip resulted in 110 martyrs, including children and women,” it said in a brief statement.
The statement said 57 people were killed and dozens were injured in attacks on residential buildings in Rafah and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Deaths and injuries were also reported after Israeli strikes on houses next to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and apartments in the “Prisoners Towers” west of the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.
They were also reported after Israeli aircraft launched a series of attacks on the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.
UN Relief and Works Agency says another 6 of its staff members killed in Israeli bombing of Gaza, bringing workers’ death toll to 35.
More than 181,000 housing units have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, the Government Media Office said Monday.
“More than 20,000 units were totally destroyed or rendered uninhabitable,” Salama Marouf, a spokesman for the office, told a press conference in Gaza City.
He said 72 government buildings and dozens of public and service facilities were also damaged.
According to the spokesman, 177 schools, 32 mosques and three churches also suffered damage in the Israeli offensive.
Interior Ministry spokesman Iyad al-Bozom said most bombs used by Israel in Gaza were US-made.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) accused Israel on Monday of killing a senior leader of Hamas who was being held in an Israeli prison.
In a statement, PPS said Omar Daraghmeh, 58, was arrested on Oct. 9 and placed under administrative detention.
It said the Israeli narrative about the circumstances of Daraghmeh’s death “remains subject to doubt,” particularly since he had appeared at a court hearing earlier in the day and seemed to be in good health.
An Israeli statement claimed his death was due to a heart attack.
Hamas’ military wing Al-Qassam Brigades on Monday said it has released two Israeli captives for “compelling humanitarian reasons.”
Abu Obeida, the Al-Qassam spokesman, made the announcement in a statement on Telegram and said the release came amid mediation from Qatar and Egypt.
He said that Israel had previously refused to receive them.
“We decided to release them for compelling humanitarian and medical reasons, despite the occupation committing more than 8 violations of the procedures that were agreed with the mediators to adhere to during the day to complete the handover process,” he added.
On Saturday, Abu Obeida had said that Al-Qassam Brigades wanted to release two Israeli captives without any conditions but Israel “refused to receive them.”
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called the claim a “mendacious propaganda.”
Israeli Channel 12 said the families of the two captives – Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz 85 – were notified of their release from Hamas captivity.
The Israeli government has yet to comment on their release.
Last week, the Al-Qassam Brigades released two American captives “for humanitarian reasons” in response to Qatari mediatory efforts.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has dispatched a few high-ranking military officers to Israel to provide counsel to the Israeli military on operations in Gaza, the White House confirmed Monday.
“What I can tell you is that there are a few relevant military officers with the kinds of experience that we believe is appropriate to the sorts of operations that Israel is conducting and may conduct in the future to go over there to share some perspectives from their own experience and to ask the hard questions,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing.
“The same hard questions that we’ve been asking our Israeli counterparts since the beginning,” he added.
Earlier, the US news website Axios reported that Biden selected Marine Lt. Gen. James Glynn, known for his involvement in Marine special operations countering Daesh/ISIS in Iraq, along with other senior officials to advise the Israeli military.
The confirmation came amid reports that Israel is bracing for a ground operation in Gaza.
5,087 Palestinians have been killed, 40 percent killed are children in Gaza, and 15,273 have been injured since October 7, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health said.
According to the Israeli army, 1,400 Israelis have been killed inluding 302 soldiers by military wing of Hamas, Izz al-Din al-Qassam.
Source: Muslim News