GAZA, Saturday, January 20, 2024 (WAFA) – At least 13 Palestinian civilians were killed and several others injured this afternoon as Israeli occupation forces intensified their artillery bombardment on the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City and Khan Yunis to the south of the enclave.

Local sources reported the killing of two Palestinians in an Israeli artillery shelling on the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City. Additionally, medical sources confirmed the martyrdom of 11 individuals and injuries sustained by others due to Israeli artillery shelling and airstrikes on Khan Yunis.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society explained that Israeli occupation forces targeted the vicinity of the Al-Amal Hospital, affiliated with the society in Khan Yunis, with a series of airstrikes and artillery shelling.

The Red Crescent pointed out that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza City and Northern Gaza province remains tragic due to the ongoing Israeli blockade, preventing the delivery of essential aid. Approximately 800,000 Palestinians in these areas are grappling with a severe shortage of basic supplies.

Israeli artillery also targeted locations in Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, while Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes on the Tala Al-Zaatar area east of the Jabalia refugee camp.

Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli military reinforcements, including armored personnel carries, tanks and bulldozers, broke into the eastern outskirts of the town Jabalia in northern Gaza. These forces reportedly initiated excavations in the region.

In a preliminary toll, approximately 24,927 individuals have been killed since the outbreak of the Israeli aggression on Gaza on October 7, with 62,388 reported injuries, the majority of whom are women and children.

M.N