Four people were killed and 14 others injured by Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip over the past day, health authorities in the Palestinian enclave said on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.
Health authorities did not disclose the location of the attacks. Palestinian media reported a drone strike on the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza on Tuesday. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA also reported Israeli bombings in Gaza City, airstrikes targeting civilians east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, and an Israeli attack in the town of Al-Shawka, east of Rafah city.
An Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement that a drone strike was conducted against Palestinian militants in central Gaza on Tuesday after identifying "several militants engaged in suspicious activity posing a threat to IDF (Israel Defense Forces) troops."
The strikes were the latest in almost daily Israeli attacks throughout the Palestinian enclave after the first phase of the ceasefire agreement expired on March 1. Negotiations for the next phase, which should secure a permanent ceasefire, remain stalled.
Meanwhile, three Palestinians were killed by the Israeli forces on Tuesday in Jenin Governorate, northern West Bank, reported Xinhua, quoting the Palestinian Health Ministry.
In a statement, the ministry identified one of the victims as 58-year-old Faiza Ibrahim Abu Ghali but did not disclose the identities of the other two victims, saying that they were shot dead by Israeli forces at dawn.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Tuesday that at least three "militants" were killed during a "counterterrorism operation" carried out in coordination with Israeli security forces in the town of Qabatiya and the city of Jenin, both in the Jenin Governorate.
According to the IDF, the armed militants had barricaded themselves inside a structure and were killed in an exchange of fire.
Meanwhile, a person was killed on Tuesday in an Israeli drone strike targeting a vehicle in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon, reported Xinhua.
"An Israeli enemy drone strike targeted a vehicle on the Deir al-Zahrani road, resulting in the death of a citizen," read a statement from the Public Health Emergency Operations Center of the Ministry of Public Health.
The Lebanese Civil Defense reported that its teams extinguished a fire that erupted in the targeted vehicle and transported the body of the victim to a hospital in Nabatieh.
Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli drones have been flying intensively at low altitudes over villages in the Tyre and Marjayoun districts, as well as the western sector, since early Tuesday.
Since Nov. 27, a ceasefire agreement brokered by the U.S. and France between Israel and Lebanon has been in place, ending over a year of clashes between Hezbollah and Israel amid the Gaza war.
Despite the agreement, the Israeli military occasionally carries out strikes in Lebanon, claiming to target "threats" posed by Hezbollah. Israeli forces also remain stationed in five key positions along the Lebanese border well past the Feb. 18 deadline for complete withdrawal.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday called for increased pressure on Israel to implement the November agreement by withdrawing from the five hilltops it still occupies, and returning Lebanese detainees. He made the remarks during a meeting with Jasper Jeffers, head of the committee overseeing the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, according to a statement released by Lebanon's presidency.
Another Xinhua report adds: Israeli forces have killed at least 137 Palestinians since the ceasefire agreement with Hamas took effect in Gaza, Salama Maarouf, head of the Hamas-run government media office, said on Tuesday.
Maarouf said in a press statement that "in the past ten days, Israeli forces have intensified their violations of the ceasefire, including today's killing of five people south of Gaza City."
Among them were two brothers targeted by drones, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed since the peace agreement took effect on January 19 to 137, including about 52 in the city of Rafah, according to the official.
Maarouf accused Israel of escalating pressure on the Palestinian population through a combination of military action and economic blockade.
"Israel is tightening the siege and denying people access to basic necessities while continuing to kill civilians in cold blood," he said.
"The victims include women and children who posed no threat to Israeli forces. Most were killed while inspecting their homes near occupation positions," he added.
Maarouf called on international mediators to intervene and hold Israel accountable for its actions.
The Gaza ceasefire, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, began on January 19 after 15 months of devastating war in Gaza.
- Israeli
- Invasion
- Gaza
- West Bank
- Lebanon
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
