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Gaza City – At least 42 Palestinians were reported killed Sunday by Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip, according to the Civil Defense, as the Israeli military prepares for a ground invasion of Gaza City. The escalating violence comes nearly ten months after the October 7, 2023, hamas attack on Israel.
The Israeli army has not yet commented on the reported casualties. The Civil Defense reported the death toll reached 42 as of Sunday morning,with Israeli raids targeting Gaza City and areas in the center,north,and south of the gaza strip.
The Al-Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City experienced the deadliest single strike, resulting in the deaths of eight people. Ibrahim Al-Shurafa, a resident of Al-Sabra, described the situation to Agence France-Presse as “very dangerous in every sense of the word,” stating, “Every day, and every minute, ther are bombings, martyrs, death and blood, we no longer bear.” He added, “The raids continue…and artillery shelling continues on residential neighborhoods…We do not know where to go, death is chasing us everywhere.”
Reporting from Gaza is severely restricted by Israeli authorities, and movement within the Strip is arduous, preventing Agence France-Presse from independently verifying information provided by the Civil Defense and the Israeli army.
The current conflict began following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people in Israel, the majority of whom were civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse count based on official statements. This attack involved the firing of thousands of rockets and the infiltration of militants into Israeli territory.
Since then, the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip has led to the deaths of at least 62,686 Palestinians, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health, a figure considered reliable by the united nations. The vast majority of those killed are reported to be civilians. The Gaza Strip, a 365 square kilometer territory, is home to over 2.3 million palestinians.
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