Eight killed in Gaza in fresh Israeli strikes
Ramallah: At least eight Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on areas of the Gaza Strip, according to local civil defence and medical sources.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defence in Gaza, reported that three people were killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting a gathering of Palestinians in the al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City, Xinhua news agency reported.
In a separate attack, two Palestinians were killed in an airstrike in the Al-Karama neighbourhood northwest of Gaza City, and two more were killed in an Israeli strike in the Al-Shuja’iya neighboruhood east of Gaza City.
Additionally, medical sources reported that a young man was killed in Jabalia town in northern Gaza, where eyewitnesses confirmed injuries from Israeli artillery targeting the area.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Sunday accused Israel of prolonging its war through “a time-buying game” to facilitate “genocide, displacement, and annexation,” and called on the international community to take urgent action to stop the violence.
In the backdrop of the ongoing conflict, preparations are underway for an international conference to mobilise support for Gaza’s residents. Mahmoud Ataya, undersecretary of the Palestinian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, announced plans to rebuild Gaza, emphasising coordination with international partners such as the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Bank.
The Palestinian government has prioritised urgent humanitarian aid and long-term reconstruction, drafting a recovery plan for the next three years and a ten-year development plan expected to be completed by March, according to Ataya.
Earlier, three people were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a group of people near the Shebaa Farms in southern Lebanon, a Lebanese military source said.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua on Sunday that an Israeli drone fired an air-to-ground missile at the Bastra area south of the town of Shebaa, resulting in the fatalities.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Saturday that its air force had identified and attacked three “suspects” near the Israeli-annexed Shebaa Farms area.