IOF continues to shell Rafah, crossings still closed

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 May 2024 15:35

As the closures of the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem crossings extend into their thirteenth day, concerns mount over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

A Palestinian walks next to bombardments in eastern Rafah near tents of forcibly displaced people. (UNRWA)

Israeli occupation forces continue their aggression on various areas of the Gaza Strip for the 226th day, resulting in more civilian casualties.

Many Palestinians were martyred and others were injured in Israeli artillery and air strikes by the occupation forces in various areas in the Gaza Strip.

A father bids farewell to his daughter who was killed by an Israeli bombardment in Gaza.

اب يودع طفلته في غزة pic.twitter.com/bPdGCiCTXv
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) May 19, 2024

Concurrently, rescue and civil defense teams recovered the bodies of 31 martyrs following an IOF airstrike that targeted a house in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza early this morning.

Here is a recap of the other latest developments:

IOF artillery targeted a building north of Nuseirat. At the same time, one Palestinian was martyred and another was injured after an airstrike targeted a group of people gathering firewood in Sabra neighborhood in central Gaza City.
In Deir al-Balah, the head of the Central Governorate's Investigations Department, Zahir Hamid al-Houli, and his companion Jihad al-Humaidi were martyred following an Israeli drone strike.
In the southern Gaza Strip, two citizens were martyred in an airstrike on homes in the town of Khuza'a, east of Khan Younis, while IOF artillery renewed the shelling of homes in eastern Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
IOF artillery shelled Al-Awda Hospital in the Tel al-Zaatar area of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, according to rescue and ambulance crews.
IOF leveled more than 300 houses since its incursion into the camp began last week.
Israeli warplanes launched successive fire belts on Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.
The Civil Defense in northern Gaza announced that Kamal Adwan Hospital is out of service due to Israeli targeting.
The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital said in a press statement that several wounded individuals were martyred yesterday due to the lack of necessary medical equipment, adding that the crews are providing medical services at a minimal level amid relentless Israeli bombings.

Gaza faces catastrophe: Aid blocked, hospitals in crisis amid ongoing siege

The Gaza Strip is facing a deepening humanitarian crisis as the Israeli occupation continues its assaults and blocks critical aid.

Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have prevented the entry of 3,000 aid trucks and barred 690 patients and wounded individuals from traveling abroad for treatment due to the ongoing closure of the Rafah and the Karem Abu Salem crossings for the thirteenth consecutive day, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza.

In a statement released on Sunday, the Government Media Office highlighted the severity of the situation, noting that "Israel" is obstructing the delivery of essential food, medical supplies, and fuel necessary for hospitals and humanitarian services. The statement also pointed out that the Israeli occupation has occupied the Rafah border crossing and shut down the Karem Abu Salem crossing, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

The Government Media Office emphasized the dire consequences of these actions, stating, "The occupation's measures pose a clear and present danger, particularly as the health system collapses and hospitals are targeted, destroyed, and rendered completely inoperative." The statement further accused "Israel" of committing genocide against civilians, including children and women.

The statement also criticized the international community, asserting that the US administration, the European Union, and other global entities have failed to intervene effectively.

"The international community has not fulfilled its duty to prevent genocide, instead giving the occupation a green light to continue its policies of starvation and siege, in blatant violation of international law and humanitarian principles," the office stressed.

'Immediate action needed'

Holding the Israeli occupation, the US administration, the European Union, and the international community fully accountable for the ongoing genocide, the Government Media Office called for immediate action. It urged all free nations and international and UN organizations to condemn the ongoing crisis and apply pressure to halt the genocide.

The office demanded the immediate reopening of crossings to avert a humanitarian catastrophe and to facilitate the delivery of aid to the 2.4 million residents of Gaza, including 2 million forcible displaced individuals who rely on external assistance.

In a related development, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has sounded the alarm over a critical shortage of essential medicines and medical supplies needed for emergency services, surgeries, and primary care. The ministry reported that hospital stock levels have reached zero, putting countless patients at severe risk.

In the same context, the UN’s humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said as quoted by AFP, "If fuel runs out, aid doesn’t get to the people where they need it, that famine, which we have talked about for so long, and which is looming, will not be looming anymore. It will be present."

"And I think our worry, as citizens of the international community, is that the consequence is going to be really, really hard. Hard, difficult, and apocalyptic," he stressed.