By Euronews | Created at 2025-01-01 12:09:44 | Updated at 2025-01-04 07:43:54
2 days ago
Strikes hit northern and central Gaza as the war between Israel and Hamas nears its 15 month mark with no end in sight.
Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as the war between Israel and Hamas reaches its 15-month mark with little tangible progress on a ceasefire agreement.
One strike hit a home in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza -- the most isolated and heavily destroyed part of the territory where Israel has launched relentless strikes since early October.
Gaza's Health Ministry said seven people were killed, including a woman and four children.
Another strike overnight hit the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killing two people according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) ordered people to evacuate the area overnight, claiming they would launch a strike in response to rocket fire by Palestinian militants.
A third strike early Wednesday in the southern city of Khan Younis killed three people, according to the nearby Nasser Hospital and the European Hospital, which received the bodies.
The IDF claimed on X that the strike in Khan Younis killed commander Abd al-Hadi Sabah -- " one of the leaders of the infiltration into Kibbutz Nir Oz during the murderous October 7 Massacre."
They added that Sabah also led and advanced numerous terrorist attacks against IDF troops throughout the current war.
The war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza began on 7 October 2023 after Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel killing some 1,200 people and abducting around 250 as hostages.
About 100 hostages are still held in Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel’s air and ground offensive in retaliation to the attack has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry which does not differentiate between civilians and militants.
The Israeli military has claimed its strikes only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in dense residential areas. The army says it has killed 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The war has caused devastating damage to Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of 2.3 million.
American and Arab mediators have spent nearly a year trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release, but efforts have repeatedly stalled over conflicting demands on either side.
Hamas has demanded a lasting truce, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to keep fighting until "total victory" has been achieved over the militants.
Video editor • Lucy Davalou
