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Scenes. Screenshots. Published by IMEMC News

Palestinians gather near damage, following an Israeli strike at a tent camp in Khan Younis, on Saturday. Credit: Mohammed Salem / Reuters. Published by Haaretz

Mohammed Deif (L) with Khan Yunis brigade commander Rafa'a Salameh who was [claimed by Israel to be] with him in the compound that was attacked. Credit: No credit. Published by Haaretz
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by IMEMC News
July 13, 2024

On Day 281 of the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian civilians in the destroyed, starved, and besieged Gaza Strip, Israeli missiles and shells struck several populated areas in the coastal enclave, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians.

The Qatar-based Al-Jazeera said it documented testimonies regarding the Israel army’s deliberate execution of civilians in their homes in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City before the soldiers withdrew from the Sena’a area where the army operated for a week.

“Most of those killed in Tal Al-Hawa are families, children, and women,” Civil Defense spokesperson in Gaza, Mahmoud Basal, told Al-Jazeera.

Al-Jazeera also stated that at least fifty Palestinians were killed, and dozens were injured, by the Israeli missiles on Al-Mawasi.

The Government Media Office in Gaza said that more than 100 Palestinians, including civil defense staff, were killed or injured in the attack.

In its report, Al-Jazeera English said “Israeli warplanes fired five missiles at displaced Palestinians near the al-Nus roundabout. The strikes hit near tents and a water distillation unit in al-Mawasi, leading to a large number of victims.” and added that the wounded were still being transferred to hospitals.

Al-Jazeera added that “a civil defense spokesperson told Al Jazeera the targeted area was designated by the Israeli forces as a so-called “safe” zone.

The withdrawal from the Sena’a area and Tal Al-Hawa, although not complete as many tanks remain deployed on nearby streets, revealed the levels of death and destruction and the executions of dozens of civilians, in addition to those who remain under the rubble.

It is worth mentioning that the Palestinian medics and rescue teams found the corpses of more than 60 Palestinians, including many children and women, in addition to the dozens who remain under the rubble in Sheja’eyya and Tal Al-Hawa in Gaza City.

The Patient Friend’s Benevolent Society hospital in Gaza remains out of service due to the destruction caused by the Israeli army during its offensive in Tal Al-Hawa and the Sena’a area.

The Israeli army also renewed its bombing of homes in Gaza City, killing at least four Palestinians from the Abu Hashem family in their apartment in the Al-Jala’ Street, in addition to three Palestinians in their home in the Al-Katiba area.

Furthermore, a Palestinian fisherman, Ahmad Nassi, was killed fired from an Israeli military drone in the Port area in Gaza City, while trying to fish to feed his family.

In central Gaza, the army fired a missile at a home in Deir Al-Balah city, killing two children, in addition to wounding at least ten Palestinians, including children and women, after firing missiles at a home for the Aqel family near the Nusseirat Town Council.

Two Palestinians were also killed, and many were injured, in an earlier bombing of a home in Deir Al-Balah.

Furthermore, the army fired barrages of missiles and shells at several parts of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians.

Medical sources said a Palestinian man and his pregnant wife were killed when the army bombarded a home in the Ma’en area, south of Khan Younis.

Also, four humanitarian aid workers were killed when the army bombarded the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis.

Al-Jazeera said a senior staff member of the UK-based humanitarian organization “Al-Khair Foundation, was among the four slain aid workers.

The army also continued the ground offensive in Rafah, in Gaza’s southmost part for the third month, and killed at least two Palestinians in the Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood, in the western part of the city.

It is worth mentioning that the Government Media Office in Gaza stated that 71.338 Palestinians are infected with viral hepatitis due to the bad conditions and the massive displacement of the majority of the population in the coastal region, compounded by the siege, ongoing bombing, and the lack of basic humanitarian supplies.

There are more than 350.000 Palestinians with chronic conditions and face serious risks due to the Israeli military’s refusal to allow the entry of urgently needed medications.

At least 1.7 Million Palestinians in the destroyed coastal enclave are infected with numerous infectious diseases due to the profoundly difficult conditions they face after being displaced.

Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories said “The genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza is the bitter fruit of Israel’s decades-long impunity.”

Albanese added that “once again, the international community’s failure to stop Israeli crimes had enabled it to commit genocide.”

“In this darkest hour, the international community cannot continue to ignore that it’s Israel’s project to rid Palestine of Palestinians in defiance of international law, and the world’s failure to call Israel to account has led to genocide laid bare in Gaza,” she said on X.

Israel has now killed at least 38.345 Palestinians, including more than 16.122 children and 10.645 women, and injured more than 88.295, largely children, women, and elderly, in addition to the thousands of Palestinians who remain under the rubble, in several parts of the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.
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Israel Targets Hamas Military Chief and Oct. 7 Architect Mohammed Deif; Dozens of Gazans Reported Killed

Deif was among the orchestrators of the October 7 massacre that killed over 1,200 Israelis and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. At least 90 Palestinians were killed and 280 were wounded in the Israeli strike, Hamas health ministry reports

by Jack Khoury, Yaniv Kubovich, and Michael Hauser Tov for Haaretz
Jul 13, 2024 3:41 pm IDT

The Israeli army conducted a strike in Gaza's Khan Yunis on Saturday, targeting Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif and other senior members of the group. The strike killed at least 90 people and wounded 280, according to the Hamas health Ministry. Deif's condition is unknown.

On Saturday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference in Tel Aviv that there is no certainty that Deif was killed.

After the strike, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held an evaluative meeting with IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar.

The Israeli army says that Deif was in a compound above the ground, together with Khan Yunis brigade commander Rafa'a Salameh and other Hamas members, and it estimates that they were at least wounded in the attack. Hamas denies that its members were harmed and says the IDF's claims are false and "aimed at covering up the crimes Israel commits."

Deif, the head of Hamas' military wing, along with Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, orchestrated the October 7 massacre that killed over 1,200 Israelis and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. Deif has been a primary target for Israel in the Gaza Strip since the mid-1990s, surviving multiple assassination attempts, including those in the early 2000s and during Israel's war with Gaza in 2014.

In December, during the fighting in Gaza, a document discovered in a tunnel indicated that Deif was in better health than Israel had previously estimated.

Eyewitnesses reported a massive attack, and the rescue services in Gaza said that there were many refugees and displaced persons in the compound, and that the number of dead is expected to rise.

Hamas' Ministry of Information stated that some of the dead were members of rescue teams who arrived at the scene after the attack. A senior Hamas official told the Reuters news agency that those killed were civilians, and that the attack "proves that Israel is not interested in a deal."

The attempted assassination comes amid reports of progress in Israeli negotiations with Hamas over a cease-fire and hostage release deal.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said he was given briefings of the developments throughout the night into Saturday, and continues to receive constant updates. "The prime minister will hold a situation assessment during the day with the security establishment to discuss developments and further steps," his office said.

Deif grew up in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. In his youth, he became acquainted with Mohammed Dahlan, a then-PLO activist and later a prominent figure in the Palestinian Authority. Their relationship continued intermittently until the early 2000s.

With the outbreak of the first intifada and the establishment of Hamas, Deif became an active member of the organization. He quickly rose to prominence in Hamas' military wing, alongside figures such as Yahya Ayyash and Salah Shahada – both of whom were assassinated by Israel – and Hassan Salameh, who is serving life sentences in an Israeli prison.

In April and July 1994, Deif was behind the kidnapping and murders of Israeli soldiers Shahar Simani and Aryeh Frankenthal. In October of that year, he played a significant role in the activation of the Hamas cell that abducted and murdered soldier Nachshon Wachsman. Deif was also involved in bus bombings in Israel during those years.

In March, the Israeli army killed Deif's deputy, Marwan Issa, in an attack in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Issa was considered "Hamas' number 3," after Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif.

The ICC chief prosecutor has requested arrest warrants for Deif and two other Hamas leaders for crimes against humanity in connection with the October 7 attack.

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