Latest news with #PalestinianCivilDefense
Days of Palestine
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Palestinian Civil Defense Chief, His Wife Killed in Israeli Strike
DaysofPal — Colonel Ashraf Hassan Abu Nar, director of Central Operations in the Palestinian Civil Defense, and his wife were killed Sunday morning when an Israeli airstrike struck their home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, the Civil Defense Directorate announced. In an official statement, the Civil Defense described Colonel Abu Nar as 'a disciplined and dedicated humanitarian professional' who had led emergency operations across Gaza Governorate, Central Gaza, Khan Younis, and most recently the directorate's Central Operations. 'He devoted his career to saving lives under the harshest conditions,' the statement read. Local reporters confirmed that the bombing also tore through the family courtyard, killing Colonel Abu Nar's wife instantly. The killing of such a high-ranking civil defense official underscores a broader pattern: Israeli forces continue to target emergency responders, medical teams, and humanitarian infrastructure across Gaza. On Sunday alone, more than 22 civilians were killed and dozens injured by relentless airstrikes in central and southern Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, Israel's tightening blockade remains in place. All border crossings into Gaza are closed, with only a handful of aid trucks allowed through in recent days—an amount relief agencies have called 'a drop in the ocean' for a population of two million facing starvation and siege. Shortlink for this post:
Shafaq News
16-05-2025
- Health
- Shafaq News
Hundreds dead in Gaza as Israeli bombardment intensifies
Shafaq News/ Intense Israeli airstrikes, artillery shelling, and naval bombardments struck northern Gaza early Friday, as the humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave reached new levels of urgency, according to medical and civil defense sources. Medical teams in Gaza reported over 136 Palestinians killed in the last 24 hours alone, many of them women and children, amid ongoing attacks targeting residential homes in Beit Lahia, Jabalia, and displacement camps across the strip. The Palestinian Civil Defense said its crews have been operating without pause since midnight, 'rushing from one strike site to another' due to the intensity of the shelling, particularly in the north. According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, the situation around Khan Younis remains dire, especially in Al-Fukhari and the vicinity of the European Hospital, where communications have been cut and the fate of numerous families trapped inside their homes remains unknown. Medical sources report that hundreds of injured continue to arrive as airstrikes persist, pushing healthcare facilities beyond their operational limits. Many victims are critically wounded, and the death toll is expected to rise due to severe shortages of medicine and equipment. The World Food Programme (WFP) warned that 'families in Gaza are starving,' with desperately needed aid stuck at border crossings. It said the latest food security analysis confirms the territory is 'racing against time to avoid famine.' In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised alarms, stating that 'time is running out to save lives in Gaza', pointing to the collapse of the healthcare system under the ongoing siege. Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, warned that Israel is fully aware of the scale of the crisis, urging the global community to act swiftly. 'We must not repeat the mistake of failing to prevent genocide,' he said, calling on the UN Security Council to intervene. Amid this escalation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday about the situation, expressing concern over the humanitarian crisis. Since October 7, the Israeli military campaign has resulted in approximately 173,000 Palestinians killed or wounded, the majority of them women and children, with more than 11,000 people still missing, according to local health authorities.
Mada
14-05-2025
- Health
- Mada
Patients evacuated from Gaza's European Hospital after Israeli firebelt tears through grounds, killing 28
Israel launched a series of airstrikes targeting the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis on Wednesday evening, extensively damaging the facility, killing 28 people and forcing authorities to evacuate patients, medics and eyewitnesses told Mada Masr. Amr Tabash was in the courtyard of the hospital after 6 pm, when the bombs began to drop in the perimeter. The force of the intense bombardment threw him and several others meters into the air, he told Mada Masr, describing hearing multiple explosions in quick succession around the hospital. Another eyewitness to the firebelt, Salem al-Amour, said that the attack encircled almost the entire perimeter of the hospital. Images published by Gaza's Health Ministry showed wide craters extending deep into the grounds and extensive damage to the interior of the wards. The force of the explosions was severe and shrapnel flew everywhere, ripping through some of the hospital's departments, Tabash said. The impact caused severe injuries to already sick and wounded patients. Amour said that the hospital was crowded with civilians at the time of the attack, many of whom were injured and killed. 'Bodies were everywhere,' he said. 'Limbs were torn apart here and there inside the hospital, while shrapnel flew overhead, and many civilians outside the hospital were injured.' Soldiers in Israeli helicopters also fired heavily at anyone trying to enter the hospital to rescue the wounded in the wake of the attack, said Amour, an account echoed by Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza, who told Mada Masr that members of the agency were injured by Israeli fire at the hospital after arriving at the scene. The civil defense crews were able to retrieve 28 bodies from inside the hospital and from the surrounding homes that were also hit by the strikes, Basal said. Both Amour and Basal described severe damage to people's homes near the hospital. 'The home of the Afghany family, who live near the hospital, was crowded with people and they were massacred as a result of the firebelt,' said Basal. The Israeli military claimed it had targeted underground facilities belonging to Hamas using 'precise' munitions. Media outlets cited security sources saying that Mohamed Sinwar, military commander of the Qassam Brigades, was the target of the attack. Marwan al-Homs, the director of field hospitals in Gaza, told Mada Masr that the Gaza European Hospital declared a maximum emergency and ceased operations after the attack. The injured were transferred to the Nasser Medical Complex, also in Khan Younis. The Gaza European Hospital was targeted just hours after Israel targeted the burns unit at the Nasser Medical Complex, killing journalist Hassan Eslaih and another patient receiving treatment and causing extensive damage to the ward. 'These attacks are a complete crime,' said Homs.
Al Manar
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Manar
Israeli Airstrikes Claim at Least 5O Civilians in Northern Gaza
At least 50 civilians were martyred and dozens more injured or missing following a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting Jabalia refugee camp and Jabalia al-Balad in northern Gaza early this morning. Palestinian Civil Defense teams rushed to multiple bombing sites where families were targeted, including the Muqbil family in Jabalia al-Balad, al-Qattanani on al-Ajarmah Street, and several others throughout the area. Rescue workers reported recovering numerous bodies and injured survivors from beneath collapsed buildings. Harrowing scenes unfolded at the Indonesian Hospital, where victims' bodies lay on the ground, revealing the magnitude of the destruction. Additional casualties were reported when Israeli forces struck apartments belonging to the Odeh and Khalil families near Al-Yassin Mosque. Israeli warplanes bombed the Al-Bakri family home east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza. — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 14, 2025 The attacks coincided with evacuation orders issued for residents across several northern Gaza neighborhoods, suggesting a coordinated campaign of forced displacement. Medical sources report that since midnight, 66 Palestinians have been killed across Gaza, with 50 deaths concentrated in the northern region. Israeli aggression continued elsewhere, with strikes reported in Nuseirat camp, Khan Yunis, and Al-Fakhari. In the Al-Mawasi area, an entire family was martyred when their tent was bombed. The Al-Ghannam family—father, mother, and two daughters—perished in the attack. The Israeli occupation forces continue their open war on the Gaza Strip for the 58th day since its resumption, 586 days after the start of the aggression. This war is backed by American political and military support, amid international complicity and silence regarding the genocide being perpetrated against the Palestinian people. BREAKING: At least two children were confirmed killed following an Israeli bombardment east of Khan Younis, according to medical sources. — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 14, 2025 The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that 2,680 citizens have been killed and 7,680 others injured, the majority of them women and children, since March 18. Thus, the death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, has risen to 52,808 martyrs, 119,721 wounded, and more than 14,000 missing, amid widespread destruction of infrastructure, homes, residential facilities, and service facilities across the Strip.
L'Orient-Le Jour
11-05-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Eight dead, including four children, in Israeli strike on Khan Younis
The Palestinian Civil Defense reported Sunday that eight people, including four young children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on tents sheltering displaced families in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. According to Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense in Gaza, Israeli warplanes targeted three tents overnight, killing 'eight people, including four children aged two to five and two women.' The Israeli army, which resumed its offensive against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza on March 18 after a two-month truce, has not yet commented on the strike. AFP footage shows rescuers evacuating bodies in the dark — one in a white plastic bag, another in a blanket — as well as an injured baby being carried into an ambulance. Bassal also reported that the Israeli military blew up five houses in eastern Gaza City and shelled the town of Abassan, east of Khan Younis. No injuries were reported from those incidents. The war in Gaza was triggered by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in southern Israel, which killed 1,218 people — mostly civilians — according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data. In response, Israeli reprisals have killed at least 52,810 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, figures deemed reliable by the United Nations.
