CAIRO. Israeli forces renewed their offensive on central Gaza on Sunday, following a deadly hostage rescue operation that claimed the lives of 274 Palestinians. Tanks advanced further into Rafah in an apparent bid to isolate parts of the southern city, according to residents and Hamas media.
Palestinians were left reeling from Saturday’s high death toll, the worst in a 24-hour period in months, which included numerous women and children, as reported by Palestinian medics. The Gaza health ministry confirmed that 274 Palestinians were killed, an increase from the 210 reported on Saturday, and 698 were injured during the Israeli commandos’ raid on the densely populated Al-Nuseirat camp to rescue four hostages held by Hamas militants since October.
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office reported that 64 children and 57 women were among the dead.
The Israeli military acknowledged the death of a special forces officer in the raid but claimed to know of “under 100” Palestinians killed, without specifying how many were fighters or civilians.
On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike on a house in Al-Bureij in central Gaza resulted in three Palestinian deaths and multiple injuries, while tanks shelled nearby areas of Al-Maghazi and Al-Nuseirat, all historic refugee camps. The Israeli military stated that its forces continued operations east of Bureij and Deir al-Balah, killing several Palestinian gunmen and destroying militant infrastructure.
Israel launched its offensive in Rafah in May, aiming to eliminate the last intact combat units of Hamas after eight months of war that left much of Gaza in ruins. Israeli tank forces have since seized the border strip with Egypt running through Rafah to the Mediterranean coast and have invaded several districts, prompting around one million displaced people to flee.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
