The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, stated that Israel’s military actions in northern Gaza amount to “a war crime” and signify “a mass expulsion of people from their homeland.”
According to residents, Israeli forces expanded their operations in northern Gaza, with tanks advancing to the northern edge of Gaza City, striking various areas of the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood and compelling numerous families to vacate their homes.
Residents reported that Israeli forces have effectively cut off access from Gaza City to Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya, located in the far north of the enclave, only permitting passage for families willing to comply with evacuation orders.
As the major Israeli offensive in northern Gaza reaches its ninth day, the Hamas-led Gaza government’s media office reported that around 300 Palestinians have been killed due to Israeli strikes.
The report suggested that Israel’s bombardment of civilian residences and designated displacement shelters aims to permanently purge the region of its residents, a claim that Israel has refuted.
Mr. Martin expressed that the “horrific events unfolding in Jabalia and northern Gaza must cease.” He added, “An entire population is being encircled and displaced, with no refuge available. This indicates a mass expulsion of people from their homeland.”
“This is a war crime, and the international community needs to utilize every possible means to compel Israel to halt its military actions,” he stated in a public address.
The health ministry in Gaza reported that dozens have been confirmed dead from the assaults in northern areas, with many others feared trapped in rubble or on roads that are inaccessible to medical teams.
The Gaza authorities indicated that Israeli strikes have resulted in approximately 300 fatalities within the first nine days of the ongoing military operation in the region.
The Tánaiste announced he would bring up the “serious concern and urgency of ending this devastation” during a Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg scheduled for tomorrow.
Numerous residents of Jabalia have taken to social media to declare, “We will not leave; we will die here rather than abandon our homes.”
The northern region of Gaza, which shelters more than half of the territory’s 2.3 million inhabitants, was decimated during the initial phase of Israel’s assault last year, following attacks on October 7 by militants that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 individuals and the abduction of 250 hostages.
After a year of Israeli offensives resulting in 42,000 Palestinian fatalities, many residents have returned to the devastated northern areas.
Israel dispatched troops over a week ago to eliminate fighters it claimed were regrouping for further assaults. Hamas has denied the presence of fighters among the civilian population.
While the primary offensive concentrates on the northern area, Israeli forces are also conducting strikes in other parts of Gaza. The health ministry reported at least 11 fatalities by late morning, including at least six deaths in a residential building in Bureij camp, located south of Gaza City.
The Israeli military announced that over the past 24 hours, forces operating throughout Gaza had targeted approximately 40 sites and killed numerous militants.
“Division 162 forces are actively engaged in the Jabalia area, where they eliminated dozens of terrorists and discovered explosives, weapons, grenades, and other military equipment,” the statement read.
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The military wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other smaller factions reported attacking Israeli forces in Jabalia and surrounding regions using anti-tank rockets and mortar fire.
Officials from Palestine and the United Nations have remarked that there are no secure zones within Gaza. They have raised alarms over dire shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies in northern Gaza, warning of a potential famine.
At least 15 people were reported killed in strikes by the Lebanese health ministry.
The escalation in northern Gaza coincides with a substantial Israeli airstrike and ground campaign targeting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, an ally of Hamas and Iran.
In Lebanon, Israeli forces targeted areas both within and outside traditional Hezbollah strongholds.
In Hezbollah-controlled regions, Israeli warplanes struck a marketplace in the southern city of Nabatiyeh and a century-old mosque in a bordering village, according to the National News Agency (NNA) of Lebanon.
There have also been lethal strikes in various locations across Lebanon, including one on a Shiite Muslim village situated in a predominantly Christian mountainous region, as reported by the health ministry.
Footage obtained by AFP from the northern Deir Billa area following a strike depicted rescuers and residents digging through rubble with bare hands.
Israeli warplanes targeted a marketplace in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon.
The mayor of Kfar Tibnit, where a strike reportedly demolished a mosque, expressed his sentiment of loss for a cherished gathering place within the community. “It was an important site for families to convene during special occasions,” Fuad Yassin informed AFP, noting the mosque’s significance as at least 100 years old.
Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed that strikes on three villages the previous day resulted in 15 fatalities.
The Lebanese Red Cross reported lightweight injuries among paramedics and damage to ambulances in Sirbin after a second airstrike hit a house while they were searching for victims.
Israel has alleged that militants utilize civilian infrastructure in both Lebanon and Gaza for operational purposes, a claim refuted by the mentioned groups.
The Israeli military indicated that its 36th division has been engaged in “targeted and limited operational activities” in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah.
Israeli jets have supposedly targeted “Hezbollah launchers, anti-tank missile positions, weapons storage sites, and other terrorist objectives.”
On the ground, soldiers reported “eliminating dozens of terrorists.”
According to the NNA, Israeli forces have “intensified their assaults” on southern Lebanon, executing “successive airstrikes from midnight until morning” against various border villages.
Hezbollah stated that it engaged Israeli troops attempting to “infiltrate” a border village in two separate incidents, resulting in an hour-long confrontation.
Israeli forces targeted regions within and outside traditional Hezbollah strongholds.
They further claimed to have shelled Israeli soldiers positioned in Maroun al-Ras village.
Prior to this, Israel asserted that it had intercepted five additional projectiles launched from Lebanon.
The military declared that Hezbollah had fired around 320 projectiles into Israel during the Yom Kippur weekend, marking the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
Israel has announced its intention to implement measures to safeguard UNIFIL personnel.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant conveyed to his US counterpart Lloyd Austin that the nation would continue to take steps to minimize any potential harm to UN peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon, as reported by the defence ministry.
“Minister Gallant stressed… the IDF (Israeli military) will persist in efforts to avoid harming UNIFIL troops and peacekeeping locations,” the ministry stated following discussions between the two.
In recent days, at least five peacekeepers have sustained injuries during clashes involving Israeli forces and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
UNIFIL has accused the Israeli military of “deliberately” targeting its positions.
