As the United States prepared to sanction billions of dollars in further military aid to its closest ally, Israel launched attacks on the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight, killing 13 people, including nine children on Sunday, April 21. Nearly every day, Israel conducts airstrikes on Rafah, where over half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have fled to safety from conflict elsewhere. It has also declared that it will not back down from its ground offensive, even in the face of international pressure to exercise caution, which includes the United States.
The House of Representatives approved a $26 billion aid package on Saturday that includes around $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza. The first strike killed a man, his wife and their 3-year-old child, according to the nearby Kuwaiti Hospital, which received the bodies. The woman was pregnant, and the doctors managed to save the baby, the hospital said. The second strike killed eight children and two women, all from the same family, according to hospital records. An airstrike in Rafah the night before killed nine people, including six children.
Palestinian death toll
According to local health professionals, the Israel-Hamas conflict has taken the lives of over 34,000 Palestinians, wreaked havoc on Gaza’s two biggest cities, and left a path of devastation throughout the region. Experts claim the besieged coastal enclave is on the verge of hunger, and about 80% of the population has evacuated their homes to other parts of the region.
The conflict, now in its seventh month, has sparked regional unrest pitting Israel and the U.S. against Iran and allied militant groups across the Middle East. Israel and Iran traded fire directly earlier this month, raising fears of all-out war between the longtime foes. Tensions have also spiked in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military said troops “neutralised” two Palestinians who attacked a checkpoint with a knife and a gun near the southern West Bank town of Hebron early Sunday. It was not immediately clear if they were killed. No Israeli forces were wounded. At least 469 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Most have been killed during Israeli military arrest raids, which often trigger gunbattles, or in violent protests.
The war in Gaza was sparked by an unprecedented Oct. 7 raid into southern Israel in which Hamas and other militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages. Israel says militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
Thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to call for new elections to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a deal with Hamas to release the hostages. Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed and all the hostages are returned.
The Gaza Health Ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count but says at least two-thirds have been children and women. It also says the real toll is likely higher as many bodies are stuck beneath the rubble left by airstrikes or are in areas that are unreachable for medics.
(with inputs from AP)
