Israel’s war on Gaza : 8 Palestinians killed in attack on shelter
- At least 31 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the last 24 hours, including eight in an attack on a school sheltering displaced people.
- An attack near Jordan’s border with occupied West Bank has killed at least three Israeli civilians.
More Israeli attacks reported in Gaza City
The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza City says two more Israeli attacks have taken place in northern Gaza.
Israeli forces targeted homes belonging to the Qarout and al-Fakhouri families in the Sabra area, near the al-Istijabah Mosque south of Gaza City.
Israeli media name 2 of 3 victims in Allenby crossing attack
Israeli newspapers Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post have identified two of the three victims of the shooting attack that took place earlier today at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge on the border between the occupied West Bank and Jordan.
They are Yohanan Shchori, 61, from the illegal West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Efraim, and Yuri Birnbaum, 65, from the settlement of Na’ama. According to earlier reports, the victims worked as private security guards at the crossing.
The attack occurred at the commercial cargo area of the crossing, the only exit point for Palestinians in the West Bank to travel outside the occupied territory. The attacker reportedly approached from the Jordanian side.
At least 69 percent of children in Gaza have received first dose of polio vaccine
The Palestinian Health Ministry has announced that 69 percent of children in Gaza have received their first dose of the polio vaccine since the start of the campaign seven days ago, the news agency Wafa reported.
The polio vaccination campaign is ongoing in Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis, as well as surrounding areas in southern Gaza.
As of Saturday evening, 441,647 children had been administered the vaccine, of whom 49 percent were girls.
The ministry added that the vaccination campaign will continue in northern Gaza once it is completed in southern Gaza.
Crossing with Jordan ‘the only exit for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank’
As far as we know, the perpetrator came from the Jordanian side of the bridge. He was a truck driver, he got out of the truck, opened fire on the people there and killed three Israelis.
People going to Jordan were returned and those who going to the occupied West Bank were sent back to Jordan.
Let’s not forget this is the only exit for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to the outer world. They don’t have an airport of their own, so what they do is fly out from Jordan. But before they do that, they have to cross three points – the Palestinian one, the Israeli one and then the Jordanian one.
We’ve also seen a video showing some Palestinian workers being detained as part of the security arrangements taking place here.
Israeli attacks continue in northern Gaza
The spokesperson of the Civil Defence in Gaza says Israeli forces have hit al-Tabbaa Tower near as-Saraya with artillery shelling in the centre of Gaza City.
Before the war began, Gaza City was the largest and most populous city within the Gaza Strip with more than 750,000 residents.
Hamas calls border crossing attack a ‘response’ to Israeli ‘crimes’
Hamas has responded to the attack on King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge, calling it a “response to the crimes of the occupation”.
The group said:
- The attack was “an affirmation of our nation’s stance with our people and their resistance”.
- The operation is a confirmation of the Arab peoples’ rejection of the Israeli occupation and its crimes and ambitions in Palestine and Jordan.
Tens of thousands of Israelis protest as calls for captive deal intensify
Tens of thousands of Israeli protesters took to the streets on Saturday in a new wave of protests to press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sign a deal with Hamas to free captives held in Gaza.
An estimated 750,000 people hit the streets across Israel, including Tel Aviv and Haifa, as well as the Karkur Junction area near Haifa, according to local media reports.
“I think even those who were, maybe, reluctant to go out, who are not used to protest, who are sad but prefer to be in private space within their sadness, understood our voice must join together to one huge scream: Bring the hostages with a deal. Do not risk their lives,” said one protester in Tel Aviv, Efrat Machikawa, niece of captive Gadi Moses.
Latest casualty figures in Gaza
At least 40,972 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7 last year.
Another 94,761 people have been wounded, Gaza’s Health Ministry updated.
