Intense Israeli bombing targeted various areas of Gaza on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of Palestinian artist Alaa Qaddoha and two girls, one of whom was in the intensive care unit of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, after the electricity was completely cut off from the complex.
As the Israeli aggression on Gaza entered its 130th day, a number of Palestinians were martyred and injured, at dawn on Tuesday, in raids and artillery shelling by the occupation forces on various areas of the Gaza Strip.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced, on Tuesday, that the toll of the Israeli aggression on the Strip had risen to “28,473 martyrs and 68,146 injured since last October 7.”
The ministry added in a statement that "the occupation committed 16 massacres in the Gaza Strip, leaving 133 martyrs and 162 injured within 24 hours."
Health sources reported to the Palestinian News Agency (Wafa) that 5 citizens were martyred and others were injured as a result of the Israeli warplanes bombing a house for the Qadoha family in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.
The sources indicated that among the martyrs was the Palestinian artist Alaa Qaddoha, who is among the most famous artists on the TikTok platform. He appeared in many scenes as an “officer in the Israeli occupation army,” and he had many Palestinian dramas.
In Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, a girl was martyred and at least 4 other citizens were injured as a result of the occupation’s bombing of the Brazil neighborhood, while the Qatari Al Jazeera network confirmed that an Israeli raid targeted the Al-Shoka police station.
Local sources also indicated that violent explosions were heard in the western areas of Rafah, while a number of Palestinians were injured in an Israeli artillery shelling that targeted the city crossing wall.
Power outage from Nasser Medical Complex
Another Palestinian was martyred in an Israeli bombing that targeted a group of citizens east of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip.
A child was also martyred in intensive care at the Nasser Medical Complex after the power supply to the complex was completely cut off, as a result of the occupation artillery shelling the eastern and western areas of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Yesterday (Monday), 7 citizens were martyred, and 14 medical staff and displaced persons were injured by occupation sniper fire in the courtyards of the Nasser Medical Complex, in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.
In Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip, a number of citizens were injured by bombing by occupation warplanes.
UNRWA's concerns
For its part, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) expressed concerns about the escalation of military operations in Rafah, whose population has multiplied six times what it was before the war.
The UN agency stressed the need to support the continuation of its work, saying that it cannot be exposed to danger because of individuals, indicating that there is a political solution to this.
UNRWA called on the countries that suspended their support to review their decision, otherwise the agency will be forced to take decisive measures to reduce its work even in Gaza.
Since last January 26, 18 countries and the European Union have decided to suspend their funding to UNRWA, based on Israel’s allegations that 12 of the agency’s employees participated in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, on Israeli settlements adjacent to Gaza.
These countries are: the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Italy, Britain, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, New Zealand, Iceland, Romania, Estonia, and Sweden, in addition to the European Union, according to the United Nations.
Erdogan calls on Israel to stop its “expansionist dreams” and regrets targeting UNRWA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed the need for Israel to stop pursuing “expansionist dreams” if it wants lasting peace. He also expressed his regret at targeting the reputation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), calling on the world to support it.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Israel to stop pursuing “its expansionist dreams” if it wants lasting peace, pledging: “We will never leave our Palestinian brothers alone without protection.”
Erdogan added during the World Government Summit activities in Dubai, UAE, on Tuesday, that Israel sees itself as above international law and has not abandoned occupation, theft, destruction, and massacres for decades.
He added that any step will remain incomplete unless a geographically unified, sovereign Palestinian state is established on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, stressing that the path leading to peace, stability and economic development in the region passes through that step.
The Turkish President also called on the countries of the world to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), pointing out that the agency represents a lifeline for six million refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.
He expressed his regret about the attack on the UN agency to undermine its reputation, saying: “We regret what UNRWA has recently witnessed, as its reputation has been exaggeratedly targeted.”
He continued: "We are working to achieve the vision based on peace and justice, and we affirm that the world is bigger than 5 (countries)."
On the Turkish level, Erdogan said that his country has achieved significant growth in all fields over the past two decades despite the challenges, praising the United Arab Emirates’ support for Turkey during the earthquake disaster.
He stressed that "modern Turkey has become a very strong country, and is different from what it was 20 years ago."