Tel Aviv: The Hamas-run Government Media Office in Gaza has said that the death toll from Israel’s strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp on Tuesday and Wednesday has now risen to 195 people, with 120 missing. Some 120 are still missing under the rubble, and at least 777 more were wounded, the office said in a statement.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israel “bombarded” a maternity ward of the territory’s Al-Helou Hospital.
UN Condemns Israeli Attacks
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the Israeli attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday in Jabalia as “appalling”, while the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the “disproportionate attacks” could amount to “war crimes.”
Israel has stated that the attack targeted a Hamas commander.
15 Israeli Soldiers Killed In Gaza Ground Offensive
Meanwhile, at least 15 Israeli soldiers have been killed during the ground invasion in Gaza since Tuesday as its forces press deeper into the enclave, attacking dozens of targets affiliated with its Hamas terror group, The New York Times reported, citing the Israeli military.
The 15 deaths, mostly of infantry soldiers, were the first casualties inside Gaza publicly confirmed by Israel’s military since it launched a ground invasion on Friday.
The IDF confirmed the death in battle of two additional fallen soldiers: Staff Sgt Itay Yehuda, 20, and Staff Sgt. Shay Arvas, 20, bringing the death toll of soldiers killed in the Gaza ground operation so far to 15, Times of Israel reported.
In Israel, the soldiers’ names and faces were plastered on the home pages of most news websites. Others were read out live on Israeli television when the military announced their deaths on Wednesday, as per the New York Times.
Escalation In Gaza Conflict
The Israeli military said it has struck more than 11,000 targets in the Gaza Strip since the horrific attacks by Hamas on October 7, which killed over 1400 Israeli people and over 200 were taken hostages.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli forces took over a Hamas military stronghold in western Jabaliya, a densely packed residential area north of Gaza City, claiming to kill more than 50 terrorists.
Biden Calls For ‘Humanitarian Pause’
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has said that he thinks there should be a humanitarian “pause” in the Israel-Hamas war in order to get “prisoners” out. Biden was speaking at a fundraiser for his 2024 reelection campaign when a protester interrupted him, calling for a ceasefire. “I think we need a pause,” Biden said in response. “A pause means give time to get the prisoners out.”
Israeli ground troops have advanced to Gaza City in heavy fighting with militants following Hamas’ killing of roughly 1,400 Israelis on October 7.