The ongoing conflict in Gaza took a devastating turn late Thursday when an Israeli airstrike on a post office in the Nuseirat refugee camp resulted in the deaths of at least 30 Palestinians and injuries to 50 more, according to medics. The post office, providing refuge for families displaced by the 14-month conflict, became the scene of a horrific tragedy as the Israeli military targeted a senior member of the Islamic Jihad militant group. This attack brought the day’s death toll in the besieged enclave to a staggering 66.
Israel’s military confirmed the strike, stating that its objective was an Islamic Jihad leader responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians and troops. The statement, however, did not disclose the identity of the targeted individual. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) asserted that Islamic Jihad was exploiting civilian infrastructure and using the civilian population as human shields, a claim vehemently rejected by Palestinian authorities and human rights organizations. The IDF indicated that it was reviewing reports concerning the number of casualties resulting from the strike.
The Nuseirat refugee camp, one of eight historic camps in the Gaza Strip established for Palestinian refugees following the 1948 war, has become densely populated due to the current displacement crisis. This makes the civilian population extremely vulnerable to attacks.
Earlier on Thursday, two additional Israeli strikes in southern Gaza resulted in the deaths of 13 Palestinians. Gaza medics and Hamas identified the victims as members of a force tasked with protecting humanitarian aid trucks. Israel, however, countered that these individuals were Hamas militants attempting to hijack the aid shipment. Reports indicate many of those killed in Rafah and Khan Younis had links to Hamas, according to sources within the group. The IDF justified these strikes as necessary to ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, accusing Hamas of plotting to obstruct its distribution to Gaza civilians in need.
The situation is further complicated by repeated hijackings of aid trucks by armed gangs, prompting Hamas to establish a special task force to counter this threat. Hamas sources and medics report that the force has eliminated over two dozen gang members in recent months. Hamas has also claimed that Israeli military strikes have killed at least 700 police officers responsible for securing aid convoys since the war began on October 7, 2023.
Adding to the escalating tensions, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for residents of several districts in the heart of Gaza City on Thursday, citing retaliatory measures against rocket fire originating from these areas. Dozens of families were seen leaving their homes as night fell, seeking refuge elsewhere in the city.
Despite months of intensive ceasefire efforts by Arab mediators, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, a resolution remains elusive. While U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan expressed optimism in Tel Aviv on Thursday about a potential breakthrough in negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release, citing signals of readiness from Israel and some movement from Hamas, the immediate future for Gaza’s civilians remains uncertain and deeply concerning. The war, which began with Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israeli communities that resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli deaths and the abduction of around 250 hostages, continues to inflict catastrophic damage, with Palestinian health authorities reporting over 44,800 deaths and the displacement of nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. The humanitarian crisis deepens daily, with widespread hunger and disease threatening the survival of countless innocent civilians.
