140 Palestinians killed across Gaza as Israel announces ‘extensive’ ground assaults
Israel’s relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip on Sunday killed at least 140 Palestinians, including many children, as the regime announced it had begun “extensive” ground assaults in the territory.
The Israeli army said Sunday it launched the ground operations in several areas of Gaza as part of the regime’s so-called Operation Gideon’s Chariots.
The intensified invasion of the besieged strip will involve regular and reserve soldiers leading the ground invasion of both northern and southern Gaza, backed by the air force, according to the military.
The ground assaults come as the Israeli army has also stepped up its aerial bombardment of Gaza.
According to the officials, 69 people were killed in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip. They said all hospitals in northern Gaza were out of service due to the Israeli attacks and siege.
Israeli forces also attacked a camp sheltering displaced people in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, killing dozens of people, including children, as they slept in their tents.
Videos from the site of the attack show harrowing images of bodies, a number of them on fire.
Five journalists were also among the victims of Israeli airstrikes across Gaza when their homes were bombed.
Hamas condemned the attack on displaced Palestinians in Khan Yunis, in a statement on Sunday, describing it as a “brutal crime” that was a flagrant violation of international laws and norms.
It said, “By granting the terrorist occupation government political and military cover, the United States administration bears direct responsibility for this insane escalation in the targeting of innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip.”
At least 53,339 Palestinians have been killed and 121,034 wounded since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
