Martyr and wounded in targeting of displaced persons camp in Deir al-Balah and naval shelling hits Mawasi Khan Yunis

Medical and field sources reported the martyrdom of a Palestinian citizen and the injury of several others with varying degrees of wounds, today, Wednesday, following an aerial raid launched by Israeli occupation aircraft on an area sheltering displaced persons in the central Gaza Strip. Civil Defense teams confirmed that the shelling targeted agricultural land and the vicinity of tents in the southern Deir al-Balah area, leading to a state of panic and destruction among displaced families who lack the most basic means of protection.

Local sources stated that the martyr is the young man Abdul Rahman Qanbour, 22 years old, who was killed as a result of a direct targeting of the 'Sit Amira' camp located south of Deir al-Balah city. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital received the body of the martyr in addition to seven other wounded, some of whom were described as having moderate injuries, due to shrapnel scattered by the massive explosion that shook the densely populated tent area.

In a field testimony, one of the displaced women from the northern Strip explained that she was forced to flee her tent after hearing warning shouts, followed by a warning explosion and then a violent raid that led to thick columns of smoke rising. She indicated that shrapnel reached far distances inside the tent gathering, causing injuries among children and women who were present in the vicinity of the targeting.

Concurrently, Israeli warships escalated their attacks at sea, firing their machine guns and shells towards the tents of displaced persons set up on the beach of the Mawasi area west of Khan Yunis. The field hospital in the area announced the arrival of four injured, including three children, one of whom is in critical condition, as a result of this targeting of an area previously classified as 'safe'.

Regarding other field developments, four citizens were martyred in a shelling carried out by an Israeli drone targeting a gathering of civilians near the Al-Sawarah cemetery south of Nuseirat camp. Medical sources also recorded the death of child Khaled Saif al-Din Arada, 13 years old, after his tent in Mawasi Khan Yunis was subjected to direct gunfire by occupation forces, which raises the pace of violations against minors in shelters.

For their part, Palestinian factions considered that this continuous escalation, including daily killings and the tightening of the suffocating siege, represents a clear Israeli desire to undermine any opportunities for reaching a ceasefire agreement. Sources explained that targeting civilians in tents falls within the policy of maximum military pressure practiced by the occupation against the popular base in the Strip.

In an update to the total toll, the Ministry of Health announced that the number of victims of the ongoing aggression since October 7, 2023, has exceeded 72,000 martyrs and more than 171,000 injured. Data indicates that the period following last October 11 alone witnessed the death of 687 martyrs, amid the continuation of aerial raids and artillery shelling that does not spare displacement centers or medical facilities.

The occupation's escalation against the Palestinian people through continued killing and tightening of the siege is a clear confirmation of the decision to sabotage the ceasefire process and peace efforts.