Nine Palestinians were killed and more than 20 wounded, some critically, on Monday evening in an attack and shelling by the Israeli army and an allied militia east of the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.
The attack highlighted the growing role of armed groups that Gaza residents say the Israeli army set up to carry out operations against Palestinians in the enclave. It also came as the World Health Organization suspended the transfer of patients and companions from Gaza through the Rafah land crossing after one of its employees was shot dead, according to a source at the organization.
A medical source at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital told Al Manassa the hospital received dead and wounded people, including a woman shot in the head, after heavy shelling by militias affiliated with the Israeli army in the eastern part of the camp. At least four of the wounded were in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, the source said.
A witness told Al Manassa that a group of militias affiliated with the occupation, known locally as the Shawqi Abu Nseira militia and calling themselves the Free Homeland Forces, attacked Palestinians in the camp after crossing the yellow line toward a densely populated area, where they clashed with Palestinian security groups as they tried to storm the camp.
The witness said a number of security personnel were killed and wounded in intense gunfire from the militias and Israeli army forces positioned to the east, adding, “After a period of clashes, with people trapped in the alleys, the army fired more than one missile from surveillance drones around the area to cover the militias’ withdrawal.”
A second witness told Al Manassa those missiles killed and wounded civilians and security personnel, adding that the militia members were able to retreat behind the yellow line into areas still controlled by the occupation.
The Free Homeland Forces, an armed group known to have been created by the Israeli army to carry out operations and attacks against Palestinians in Gaza, published a video in which it acknowledged attacking Palestinians and clashing with security forces east of the camp.
In the video, members of the group appeared masked and wearing matching military uniforms while carrying weapons. They claimed to have killed five young men affiliated with Hamas and to have seized equipment and weapons. They said they intended to continue raids and killings.
Separately, the World Health Organization suspended the transfer of patients and companions from Gaza for treatment abroad through the Rafah land crossing after one of its employees was killed by Israeli army gunfire on Salah Al-Din Road east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to a source at the organization who spoke to Al Manassa.
According to the source, who asked not to be named, a vehicle belonging to the organization came under direct fire from Israeli soldiers on Monday morning during a work mission. The attack killed the driver, Magdy Aslan, a resident of Bureij camp, after a bullet pierced his head. His colleague suffered minor injuries after the vehicle struck the side of the road.
The injured employee, Ismail Al-Barie, told Al Manassa he had been riding in a Jeep rented for the WHO that did not carry any UN markings. He said they were on their way to a work assignment when the Israeli army opened fire on their vehicle and on a nearby commercial bus, killing his colleague.
Al-Barie was taken to the hospital for treatment along with three passengers injured on the bus. The victim’s body remained in the vehicle for several hours.
A journalistic source told Al Manassa that Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances were later able to retrieve the body after coordination had been carried out because an Israeli military vehicle had advanced and taken control of the road and the surrounding area under fire.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry data, more than 733 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire was announced last October through Tuesday, while more than 2,000 others have been wounded. Some need urgent treatment abroad because Gaza hospitals cannot provide it.
