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Gaza civil defence says Israeli forces kill 11 people

Gaza civil defence says Israeli forces kill 11 people

Straits Timesa day ago
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A civil defence spokesman said the toll included four Palestinians killed in an air strike on the Al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City.
GAZA CITY - Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli operations killed 11 people on July 26 in the Palestinian territory devastated by over 21 months of war.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP the toll included four Palestinians killed in an air strike on the Al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City in the territory's north.
One other person was killed 'after Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting for humanitarian aid' northwest of Gaza City, the agency said.
Eyewitnesses told AFP that several thousand people had gathered in the area to wait for aid.
One of them, Mr Abu Samir Hamoudeh, 42, said the Israeli military opened fire 'while the people were waiting to approach the distribution point', located near an Israeli military post in the Zikim area, northwest of Sudaniyah.
Another man was killed by a drone strike near the southern city of Khan Yunis, while one was killed by artillery fire in the Al-Bureij camp in central Gaza, the civil defence said.
Questioned by AFP, the Israeli military said it was looking into the matter.
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In a separate statement, the military said it was continuing its operations in Gaza, adding that it killed members of a 'terrorist cell' which it accused of planting an explosive device targeting soldiers.
It added that over the past day the air force had 'struck over 100 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip'.
Mr Bassal also told AFP that civil defence teams on July 26 recovered the bodies of 12 people in the area of the Morag Corridor north of Rafah following Israeli bombardment the previous night.
The recovery operation was conducted in coordination with the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), he said, adding that the bodies were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after
a deadly attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct 7, 2023.
The Israeli campaign has killed 59,676 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. AFP
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With almost all residents evacuated, other than some men and their dogs standing guard against looters, the villages were eerily empty and quiet, save for the noise of artillery in the background. Mr Narin Wongpitak, chief of Khun Han subdistrict in neighbouring Sisaket province, told ST that local communities along the border were on high alert. 'We are trying to do everything we can to make our people safe,' he said. Both countries have said they want a ceasefire but disagree over the readiness and sincerity of the opposing side to come to the table, while continuing to trade blame over which side is at fault for continuing hostilities and targeting civilians. 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Back in Surin, villagers from Kap Choeng district were forced to evacuate a second time on July 26 and take shelter at a Buddhist temple after their initial emergency accommodation at a local school in Prasat district was deemed too close to Cambodia's strike radius and unsafe. A prayer hall at a Buddhist temple in Surin converted into a makeshift emergency shelter. ST PHOTO: PHILIP WEN Unlike other villages where some people remained behind, vegetable vendor Chakkrit Khamnuan, 25, said everyone in his village in Kap Choeng district was ordered to evacuate because its proximity to a Thai military base on the border made it a likely target of Cambodian attacks. Mr Chakkrit said he usually sells vegetables at a large cross-border market that relies on traders from both countries, and that business at the market had been affected for months as tensions mounted. Ms Suwannee, the rubber farmer from Phanom Dong Rak, said her entire village was angry at the situation and hoped to be able to return home soon. 'We want the conflict to end as soon as possible with a swift Thai victory to teach Cambodia a lesson to never mess with Thailand again,' she said.

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