Israeli offensive in Gaza continues, leaving dozens dead, hospitals in trouble

Palestinian death toll from Israeli shelling rises to 8,306, including 3,457 children and 2,136 women

Muslim Network TV Desk with information from agencies

GAZA, Palestine – On the 24th day of the conflict, Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip reported heavy aerial and artillery attacks as Israeli troops, backed by tanks, launched a ground assault on the besieged enclave.

At least 14 people were killed Monday in Israeli airstrikes on two residential buildings.

An attack on a house in Zawaida killed 11 people and wounded several others, while another attack on a house in the Jabalia refugee camp killed three people.

Israeli tanks entered the outskirts of Gaza City, blocking off a major road and shelling vehicles.

However, according to the Hamas government office in Gaza, they later withdrew.

Heavy Israeli airstrikes were reported from the Tal al-Hawa area of Gaza, where Al-Quds hospital is located.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, 93 deaths were reported in Khan Younis in the last 24 hours.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the offensive would continue gradually.

Hamas responded that the Israeli withdrawal from Salah al Din Street showed its inability to remain in the enclave, which is under attack by armed Palestinian groups.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 8,306 Palestinians died, including 3,457 children, and 21,048 people were wounded.

According to the spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, at least 124 medical personnel were killed, and 25 ambulances are inoperable due to Israeli attacks and fuel shortages in the besieged enclave.

Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra added that 32 medical centers are also out of service.

Meanwhile, five Palestinians were killed in Israeli operations in the occupied West Bank.

On the Israeli side, more than 1,538 people have been killed since the Gaza crisis began October 7, with 823 bodies identified and 715 already buried, according to public broadcaster KAN.

Hamas releases video of hostages

Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, have released a video showing alleged prisoners being held by the group in the Gaza Strip.

In the video, one of the three captured women addresses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and urges him to accept a ceasefire with Hamas in order to secure her release.

“Release us now and release all your citizens,” said one captured Israeli woman.

 The prisoner, who was not named, criticizes Netanyahu’s political and military leadership and called for the immediate return of all prisoners.

“We are in this situation because of the failure you (Netanyahu) caused on October 7, you are obliged to release all of us,” the prisoner said.

It refers to the recent ceasefire talks that seem to have failed.

The video ends with an impassioned appeal to Netanyahu to act quickly.

Israel’s finance minister has frozen the transfer of some $188 million a month in tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to Israeli media.

Bezalel Smotrich said the funds were being withheld because the Ramallah-based authority did not condemn an Oct. 7 cross-border operation by the Hamas group on Israeli territory which began the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The Palestinian Authority found itself unable to distance itself from these barbaric actions, and Authority officials even expressed support for the horrific massacre,” Smotrich, a far-right cabinet minister, said in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited by The Jerusalem Post.

Israel’s actions in the West Bank were condemned by the German Foreign Ministry, which stressed the need to protect Palestinian families.

In addition, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the release of hostages and humanitarian aid.

He announced a $100 million humanitarian aid package for Gaza and the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Israel reportedly denied entry to the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan.

Khand had expressed interest in investigating possible crimes in Gaza and Israel.

Israel, which is not a member of the ICC, rejects the court’s jurisdiction.

The Palestinian Authority is a member of the ICC, but Israel also prevents ICC members from entering the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Vatican’s top diplomat discussed the current situation in Gaza with his Iranian counterpart, the Vatican press office said.

During the telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, which took place at the request of the Iranian side, Vatican Foreign Minister Paul Richard Gallagher expressed the Vatican’s “grave concern about what is happening in Israel and Palestine and reiterated the absolute need to avoid an escalation of the conflict,” the office said.

In addition, Gallagher reiterated the Vatican’s commitment to a two-state solution to achieve a stable and lasting peace in the Middle East.