Fire sparked by Israeli strike kills 11 in Gaza amid siege in north
PHOTO CAPTION: An Israeli F-35 combat aircraft is seen in the skies over Israel's border with Lebanon, in northern Israel, October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
CAIRO (Reuters) - Israeli airstrikes killed 11 Palestinians in Gaza City on Thursday, medics said, while Israeli forces sent tanks into Jabalia in the north, where Palestinians and United Nations officials expressed alarm over shortages of food and medicine.
Residents of Jabalia said Israeli forces blew up clusters of houses from air, by tank shells and by placing bombs in buildings before blowing them up remotely. Gaza's civil emergency service said it evacuated several wounded people from a school sheltering displaced Palestinians that caught fire after being hit by Israeli tank shells.
Residents said Israeli forces had effectively isolated Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya in the far north of the enclave from Gaza City, blocking movement except for those families with permission to heed evacuation orders and leave the three towns.
"We have written our death notes, and we are not leaving Jabalia," one resident told Reuters via a chat app.
"The occupation (Israel) is punishing for not leaving our houses in the early days of the war, and we are not going now either. They are blowing up houses, and roads, and are starving us but we die once and we don't lose our pride," the father of four said, refusing to give his name fearing Israeli reprisal.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it had killed more than 50 Palestinian fighters over the past days in airstrikes and close quarters combat as troops try to root out Palestinian militant Hamas forces operating as guerrillas in the rubble.
In an update on Thursday, Israel's military said it had "eliminated" militants, destroyed infrastructure and recovered weapons in Rafah in the south and was operating in central Gaza, but did not mention the north.
Northern Gaza, which had been home to well over half the territory's 2.3 million people, was bombed to rubble in the first phase of Israel's assault on the territory a year ago, after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israeli towns by Hamas-led fighters who killed 1,200 people and captured 250 hostages.
After a year of Israeli assaults that have killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, hundreds of thousands of residents have come back to ruined northern areas. Israel sent troops back earlier this month to root out fighters it said were regrouping for more attacks. Hamas denies operating among civilians.
The United States has told Israel that it must take steps to improve the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza in 30 days or face potential restrictions on military aid.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss expanding humanitarian aid to Gaza, three officials who had attended the discussion said, with aid likely to increase soon.
ACCESS FOR AID
The U.N. has long complained of obstacles to getting aid into Gaza and distributing it throughout the war zone, blaming impediments on Israel and lawlessness. The U.N. said no food aid entered northern Gaza between Oct. 2 and Oct. 15.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military unit that oversees aid and commercial shipments to Gaza said 50 trucks carrying food, water, medical supplies, and shelter equipment provided by Jordan were transferred to northern Gaza.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, the director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, said Israeli comments about allowing aid into the enclave were misleading.
"The Israeli army is lying and trying to mislead public opinion regarding the entry of flour trucks," he told Reuters.
He said the Israeli military has maintained a comprehensive siege on the far north of Gaza for 170 consecutive days, closing all humanitarian access points. He said 342 people had been killed in the Israeli assault over the last 10 days.
"What is happening in northern Gaza is genocide and ethnic cleansing, destruction of houses, residential districts, roads, hospitals, schools, mosques and infrastructure as part of a displacement plan," said Thawabta.
Israel has denied the evacuation orders are part of a systematic clearance plan, saying they have been issued to ensure people's safety and separate them from militants.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Ros Russell)
