Israeli attacks killed nearly 100 people across Gaza on Tuesday as Palestinians awaited word on whether Israel would agree to a ceasefire deal. Among the dead are displaced Palestinians torn to pieces when an Israeli missile struck a roundabout where children were playing.
Mohamed Abu Al-Ata: “At that moment, children were playing on the swivel chairs here. Nearby stood a tent, the temporary shelter of a disabled man who wasn’t affiliated with any faction. Then, tragically, the airstrike came without warning. We’re all waiting for a ceasefire, but every delay brings new deaths. I could die. He could die. What exactly are they waiting for?”
The United Nations humanitarian office warns fuel shortages caused by Israel’s blockade have reached a “critical point,” with power for services including water desalination and hospitals’ intensive care units rapidly running out. On Tuesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society announced it was closing the Al-Zeitoun Medical Clinic in Gaza City after Israeli artillery shells struck nearby. The Red Crescent says it’s the 18th time the organization has been forced to close a clinic due to Israeli attacks and its blockade of medicine. This comes as Gaza health officials are warning of an “alarming” rise of meningitis cases among Gaza’s children, with hundreds of cases reported in recent weeks.