Gaza mourns children killed in Israeli strike as death toll rises
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70% of those killed in Gaza are women and children, according to a UN report.
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A man carries an injured child following Israeli bombardment at the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on June 16, 2024. (AFP)
A Gaza family sat grieving on Saturday over children slain by an Israeli attack as they prepared to play soccer, amid an escalated bombardment that Palestinian health officials said had killed 44 people in 24 hours.
The raid struck al-Mawasi, a southern coastal town where hundreds of thousands of residents took refuge after Israeli occupation forces (IOF) ordered them to flee to other locations.
Mohammed Zanoun, a relative of the victims, described the tragedy, saying, "The rocket struck them. There were no wanted or targeted people there and there was nobody else in the street. Just the children who were killed yesterday."
For the 400th consecutive day, Israeli occupation forces persisted in their genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip, conducting relentless airstrikes and artillery shelling while carrying out massacres against civilians. This ongoing violence exacerbates an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis driven by the siege and widespread displacement of the population.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed that the latest toll of martyrs has reached 43,552, in addition to 102,765 injuries. The Ministry added that in only 24 hours, the Israeli occupation committed four massacres, killing 44 and injuring 81.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in the Gaza Strip reported on Saturday that artillery shelling and gunfire from occupation tanks targeted the eastern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Two Palestinians were killed and others were injured in the bombing of a tent housing displaced people in al-Jazeera Stadium, south of al-Shafi’i Mosque in Khan Younis.
According to Palestinian media, a Palestinian was killed by an Israeli sniper in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood in the eastern part of Gaza City.
Strikes overnight and early Saturday morning killed four Palestinians east of Gaza City, including two journalists: four in a house in Beit Lahia, two in a tent at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, and four in a tent in Aabassan near Khan Younis, according to doctors.
North Gaza on brink of 'imminent famine' amid ongoing Israeli siege
A group of international food security specialists cautioned on Friday that famine is likely to occur soon in parts of the northern Gaza Strip as the Israeli occupation continues its aggression against the Gaza Strip and its people, including women and children.
In a rare alert, the independent Famine Review Committee (FRC) said, "Immediate action, within days not weeks, is required from all actors who are directly taking part in the conflict, or have influence on its conduct, to avert and alleviate this catastrophic situation."
The alert comes shortly before a US deadline for "Israel" to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Almost a year ago, the UN described the region as "uninhabitable" due to Israeli airstrikes, warning that failure to make progress could lead to potential cuts in US military aid.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza reported on Friday that 80,000 Palestinians still in northern Gaza are deprived of basic necessities and humanitarian aid.
Our correspondent pointed out that thousands of families have been displaced to the west of Gaza City and are sleeping on the streets because of a lack of tents available to protect them from heat and cold.
Intense shelling by Israeli naval vessels targeted the beach of the al-Nuseirat refugee camp and the city of Rafah in the central and southern Gaza Strip.
