▲ The camp in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, distributes donated food among the displaced.Afp Photo
AFP, AP, Sputnik, Reuters and Europa Press
The newspaper La Jornada
Saturday, July 13, 2024, p. 21
Gaza. The Palestinian Civil Defense agency announced yesterday that it had found nearly 60 bodies in the Tal al Hawa and Al Sinaa neighborhoods of Gaza City, from where Israeli troops withdrew, bringing the total number of bodies discovered in two days to at least 120.
Dozens of bodies were found on roads and among rubble Many houses were destroyed in these two areas of the city and others were set on fire, said Mahmud Basal, spokesman for the organization.
Basal explained that the discovery was made after the Israeli withdrawalbut the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not confirm that it had withdrawn from these neighborhoods.
There are houses that we cannot reach and there are people who were burned inside their houses.the official said, adding that many of the civilians killed had left nearby shelters after being ordered by the IDF to evacuate.
Videos circulating on social media show civil protection workers wrapping corpses in blankets on streets covered in rubble; another video shows charred buildings.
The IDF also said it had found a Hamas command room in a compound of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and announced the death of a Hamas deputy commander.
After intelligence indicated that Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists and infrastructure were embedded inside the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City, the IDF began a counter-terrorism operation in the area earlier this week.an Israeli military statement said.
Tel Aviv said its troops had discovered drone-making materials and weapons stockpiles at the complex, and showed photos of some of the alleged items found, although the claims could not be independently confirmed.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres, yesterday called for donations of funds for UNRWA, and said that this agency is vital for the people of Gaza.
My call to everyone is this: protect UNRWA, protect its staff and protect its mission in Palestine, including through funding.Guterres said at a donors conference held yesterday at UN headquarters in New York.
After observing a minute’s silence for the deceased staff, the head of the agency, Philippe Lazzarini, denounced mistreatment of his staff by both Israel and Palestinian militias.
Personnel detained by Israeli forces reported ill-treatment and torture. Our facilities have been used for military purposes by Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas, and also by Israeli forces.Lazzarini mentioned.
Meanwhile, Israel’s security cabinet has approved extending compulsory military service for men from 32 to 36 months, given the lack of soldiers to continue the war, the Israeli media reported yesterday. Ynet.
The 36-month rule will be in effect for the next eight years, he said. Ynetfollowing a security cabinet meeting late the day before yesterday, also indicated that the measure is likely to be put to a vote at a cabinet meeting tomorrow, the report said.
Meanwhile, in post-war negotiations with Israel, Hamas is proposing an independent government of nonpartisan figures in Gaza and the West Bank, while Israeli and Egyptian negotiators are considering installing an electronic surveillance system along the Gaza-Egypt border once Israel withdraws its troops from the area if a ceasefire is agreed.
