Middle East crisis Gaza war

Over 70 Killed in Gaza on Friday

At least 71 people were killed in the Gaza Strip on Friday, Civil Defense Minister Mohammed al-Mughayyir said. In addition to the dead, a large number of people are also missing and are feared to be under rubble, writes TT.

Israel's attacks, which lasted for days, took place a day after several Israeli tanks and drones attacked a hospital in northern Gaza.

While the fighting continues, many in the strip are at risk of dying of starvation as a result of the blockade Israel established almost three months ago.

Sources: Israel uses Palestinians as shields

The Israeli military is systematically using Palestinians as human shields in Gaza, writes AP, citing both Palestinian witnesses and sources within the Israeli army.

36-year-old Palestinian Ayman Abu Hamadan says that for a couple of weeks last summer, he was forced to wear a military uniform and with a camera attached to his forehead to check that buildings in Gaza were free of bombs and armed men.

“They beat me and said, ‘You have no other choice, do it or we will kill you,’” he tells the news agency.

According to an anonymous Israeli officer, the method has been used at times by almost all units in Gaza.

The Israeli military denies the accusations and says that it is the terrorist group Hamas that is using civilians as human shields. 

Doctor loses nine of his ten children in Israeli attack

An Israeli bomb hit the home of a family of children south of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza yesterday, Friday. Nine out of ten siblings in the family died, writes the BBC, referring to the Nasser Hospital where the children’s mother works as a doctor.

She was working when the attack occurred. One of the children and their father, who is also a doctor, were seriously injured but survived.

The BBC has verified footage shared by the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry showing small, charred bodies being lifted from the rubble after the bomb.

The Israeli military (IDF) did not respond to requests for comment. In a general statement, the IDF said it had struck more than 100 targets in Gaza in the past 24 hours.