Gaza’s largest refugee camp was hit by a series of powerful explosions on Tuesday, resulting in multiple casualties. The Israeli military stated that the airstrikes responsible for the explosions had targeted and killed a Hamas commander connected to the October 7 attacks.
Here are 10 key points regarding this significant development:
1. The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, has not released an official statement. However, they have vowed to transform Gaza into a “graveyard” for Israeli forces.
2. Egypt strongly condemned the “inhumane targeting of a residential block” in Afghanistan and announced the opening of the Rafah border crossing to admit injured Palestinians for medical treatment. This is the first time Cairo has agreed to open the crossing to civilians since the conflict began.
3. The airstrikes occurred amidst international calls for an end to the violence and a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Just prior to the attack, the health ministry had reported 8,525 deaths, including 3,542 children and 2,187 women.
4. Despite the increasing death toll, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu adamantly rejected any possibility of a ceasefire, stating that such appeals amounted to “a call for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism.”
5. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to visit Israel on Friday. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed that Blinken would hold meetings with members of the Israeli government and make additional stops in the region.
6. The United Nations declared on Tuesday that the besieged Gaza Strip has become a “graveyard” for thousands of children. The UN’s gravest concerns regarding the reported number of children killed, escalating from dozens to hundreds and ultimately thousands, have materialized in just two weeks.
7. In the West Bank, the Palestinian territory under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, at least 122 Palestinians have lost their lives since the October 7 attacks. On Tuesday, the Israeli army demolished the home of Hamas leader Saleh al-Aruri.
8. Israel stated that its forces entered Arura, a village near Ramallah, and fired at individuals who were throwing rocks towards them during the demolition.
9. The European Union strongly denounced the attacks by Israeli forces on Palestinians in the West Bank. EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell emphasized that Israel has a duty to protect civilians in the West Bank from extremist settler violence, hold perpetrators accountable, and ensure intervention by the IDF. He emphasized that fulfilling this legal obligation is essential.
10. The ongoing crisis has sparked global concerns, leading Bolivia to announce the severing of diplomatic ties with Israel on Tuesday. Bolivia’s deputy foreign minister, Freddy Mamani, expressed the government’s decision as a repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Note: This article has been rewritten and may not contain all the details of the original news article.
