The name of the Palestinian refugee camp Al-Maghazi will go down in history as a symbol of one of the bloodiest massacres in Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas terrorist attack last October 7. The Israeli Christmas Eve bombing hit the densely populated area in the center of the Palestinian territory, which is hosting displaced people, mostly women and children, evacuated from the northern Strip.
The area is on the edge of the area where the Israeli army issued an evacuation order after being identified as a possible target of a raid on Hamas bases.
Images from international channels show dozens of injured people being transferred to hospitals in the region: According to Palestinian officials, the death toll exceeds seventy.
BREAKING NEWS: Israel carried out a Christmas Eve massacre, killing more than 80 civilians in a single attack.
In the Maghazi refugee camp, body parts of men, women, children and babies are scattered everywhere.#Gaza_Genocide pic.twitter.com/iPqSBRzReR
— Robert Inlakesh (@falasteen47) December 24, 2023
Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, accuses Israel of “carrying out a massacre in a densely populated neighborhood.” Al Jazeera reported that the attack targeted four houses and that at least 40 bodies were taken to a hospital in Dir al-Balah, according to a correspondent for the AFP news agency. The Palestinian Red Crescent published images of the injured being transferred to hospitals. Israeli newspaper Haartez writes that Israeli warplanes bombed the main roads between the center of Gaza and the camp, preventing the passage of ambulances and emergency vehicles.
situation in Gaza
According to Osint sources, while Israel controls about half of the Gaza Strip, approximately two million refugees are trapped between the war front and the heavily armored Egyptian border. A new mediation offer came from Cairo, stipulating a ceasefire of at least seven days in exchange for the release of all civilians held by Hamas. Various options are also on the table regarding prisoner exchange: It is becoming increasingly difficult for Israel to advance towards the population centers in Gaza due to the constant ambushes of the Islamist Hamas militia. It is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid civilian victims: By some estimates, more than 20,000 Palestinians will lose their lives in the two-month conflict.
International diplomacy is working to negotiate the release of all military personnel detained by Hamas in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal to the Gaza borders and to establish a negotiation table. Today, Israel’s war cabinet will hold a meeting to discuss Egypt’s proposal.
According to US newspaper Wall Street Magazine The Israeli military fears that months-long battles could drag on for control over key towns in southern Gaza, with casualties among Israeli soldiers rising sharply compared with the relative ease with which Israeli troops took control of northern Gaza. Over the past weekend alone, at least 16 Israeli soldiers were killed in the area between Friday and Sunday.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
