Gaza, June 29 At least 21 Palestinians were killed on Sunday in Israeli airstrikes and gunfire across the Gaza Strip, Gaza's civil defence said, as the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of wide areas in Gaza City and northern parts of the enclave amid escalating military operations.
According to Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the civil defence in Gaza, Israeli warplanes struck residential houses and tents sheltering displaced people in various areas of the enclave, killing at least 17 people, including women and children. Dozens of others were injured, some critically, Xinhua news agency reported.
Basal told Xinhua that four other Palestinians were killed while searching for food near the U.S.-backed aid distribution centre in the Shakoush area, north of Rafah in southern Gaza.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on these incidents.
Munir al-Bursh, director general of Gaza's health authorities, told Xinhua on Sunday that the Israeli army has intensified its attacks over the past 24 hours, targeting residential areas and shelter centres.
"We are witnessing daily casualties and a worsening health crisis. Artillery fire is dispersing crowds waiting for aid," al-Bursh said, noting that most injuries were to the head and chest.
Gaza's health authorities warned that the humanitarian and medical situation has reached catastrophic levels due to the continued blockade that restricts the entry of emergency medical supplies.
Meanwhile, local sources told Xinhua that Israeli artillery shelled the eastern and southern outskirts of Gaza City, Jabalia in the north, and Khan Younis in the south, amid fierce fighting with Palestinian armed groups.
Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said in a press statement on Sunday that its fighters had targeted an Israeli D9 bulldozer with a Yasin 105 missile east of Khan Younis, causing it to catch fire.
The group also claimed to have shelled Israeli army positions in the Ma'an area with mortars.
Also on Sunday, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders for residents in Jabalia and the Gaza City neighbourhoods of al-Zaytoun, al-Tuffah, al-Daraj, and al-Sabra, urging civilians to move to the al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza. The directive marks one of the largest evacuation orders issued in recent months.
Israeli army spokesperson for Arabic media Avichay Adraee warned that military operations would intensify in these areas and expand westward toward the city centre.
Following the warning, witnesses reported that dozens of families fled their homes under heavy bombardment. Streets were filled with civilians, many carrying belongings on foot or in private vehicles, heading southward in search of safety.
On Sunday, Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh warned of the danger of what he described as the largest displacement campaign in Gaza since the start of the conflict.
He urged the United States to pressure Israel to halt its operations and push for a ceasefire to prevent further escalation.
Abu Rudeineh reaffirmed that any political initiative must guarantee the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the establishment of an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital based on the 1967 borders.
At least 6,175 Palestinians had been killed and 21,378 others injured since Israel renewed its intensive strikes in Gaza on March 18, bringing the total death toll since October 2023 to 56,500, and injuries to 133,419, Gaza's health authorities said on Sunday.
--IANS
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