Israeli Assault On Gaza Enters Fourth Day With 31 Palestinians Killed In Bombing

Israel’s indiscriminate airstrikes have primarily struck residential and civilian areas in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world

By Peoples Dispatch

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza entered their fourth day on Friday, May 12. 31 Palestinian have been killed and more than 90 others wounded in the ongoing aerial bombing. Among those dead are six women and three children. Palestinian resistance groups have retaliated against the Israeli aggression by firing rockets towards Israel. Efforts so far to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian resistance groups have failed.

Israel’s indiscriminate airstrikes have primarily struck residential and civilian areas in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Reports noted that over 300 buildings had suffered damages as a result of the strikes, with at least five buildings being completely destroyed. Several parts of Gaza are facing electric outages as airstrikes have also hit power grids. Gazans already suffer from reduced access to electricity and frequent outages due to the constant attacks on infrastructure and the illegal air, land, and sea blockade imposed by Israel for the last 15 years.

Neighboring Egypt, which is mediating between the two sides, has said a ceasefire deal looks unlikely at the moment. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, while meeting foreign ministers from a number of other countries including Jordan, Germany, and France, asked Israel to “stop the unilateral measures that aim to destroy the future of the Palestinian state.” He also called on the international community—especially “peace-sponsoring countries”—to put pressure on Israel to end its deadly bombing campaign in Gaza.

Israel claims that its airstrikes are targeting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) resistance group and its top leadership. In the last three days, Israel has unlawfully assassinated five of the PIJ’s leaders, including the head of PIJ rocket force in Gaza, Ali Ghali, along with his deputy Ahmed Abu Daqqa on Thursday. Three other top commanders of the group were assassinated on Tuesday, along with other members of their families including children. Israel reportedly continued bombing the besieged area for close to two hours on Tuesday, killing 10 Palestinians in total, including four children. Meanwhile, rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel in the next two days has resulted in one Israeli citizen’s death and five people suffering injuries.

Repeated attempts for a ceasefire have failed as Israel continues to insist on its “right” to target PIJ leaders and other members of the group. Under such circumstances, the PIJ has refused to accept the ceasefire as Israel continues attempts to assassinate its leaders. International appeals from the European Union (EU), the United States, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and others, to end the violence and hostilities have failed to reign in Israel.

Gaza is already suffering from years of humanitarian crises and economic hardships. In addition to the airstrikes, reports noted that crossings between Israel and Gaza have also been blocked as another punitive measure. This has affected workers from Gaza traveling to Israel, and resulted in nearly 300 patients being deprived of critical medical treatment. Israel has also stopped the entry of essential goods in Gaza, including supplies for urgent humanitarian aid through the crossings. A number of rights groups such as Gisha, Adalah, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, and Al Mezan, among others, have called on Israel to immediately reopen the crossings and stop its punitive actions directed at the civilian population.