Gaza death toll rises to 29,313, Rafah residents killed in strike
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[February 21, 2024]
By Bassam Masoud, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa and Nidal al-Mughrabi
RAFAH, Gaza Strip/CAIRO (Reuters) - Israel stepped up its bombardment of
the southern city of Rafah, residents said on Wednesday, as the death
toll in the war across the devastated Palestinian strip rose to 29,313,
according to the Gaza health ministry.
In its daily summary of events in Gaza, the Israeli army said it had
intensified its operations in Khan Younis, a city just north of Rafah.
It did not mention any attacks on Rafah itself, and did not immediately
respond to a request for comment.
About 1.5 million people are estimated to be crammed into Rafah, on the
southernmost fringe of the enclave close to the boundary with Egypt,
most of them having fled their homes further north to escape Israel's
military onslaught.
Israel has said it was preparing for a ground assault on Rafah, despite
mounting opposition from foreign countries, including its staunch ally
the United States, over concern for civilian lives.
Residents said Israeli tanks had advanced west from Khan Younis into Al-Mawasi,
previously an area of relative safety where the army had told
Palestinians to seek shelter.
The tanks reached the coastal road, effectively cutting off Khan Younis
and Rafah from the rest of the strip, though they retreated after a few
hours, according to local residents.
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Rafah residents reached by text message reported several air strikes and
large explosions in the city, as well as naval boats opening fire on
beachfront areas.
Reuters video journalists filmed the aftermath of a strike on the home
of the Al-Noor family in Rafah, which was reduced to rubble, showing
more than a dozen bodies wrapped in white or black shrouds and bereaved
relatives at a Rafah hospital.
Abdulrahman Juma said his wife Noor, who was from the Al-Noor family, as
well as his one-year-old daughter Kinza, had both been killed in the
strike, along with Noor's parents, brother and other relatives.
Juma was holding Kinza's body, wrapped in a bloodstained white shroud.
"This one, who is on my lap, took my soul away ... She is one-and-a-half
years old," he said.
ANGER AT UNITED STATES
At the site of the bombed house, neighbours and relatives vented their
anger at the United States, which on Tuesday vetoed a draft United
Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate
humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
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![](../images/022124PIX/news_v98.jpg)
Palestinians gather near the site of an Israeli strike on a house,
amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the
southern Gaza Strip, February 21, 2024. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
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"Since October 7 and until this moment, the U.S. has been supporting
Israel with rockets, aircrafts and tanks. All of these massacres are
because of America," said Youssef Sheikh Al-Eid, whose brother had
been living in the bombed house.
Residents of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza and Khan Younis also
reported overnight strikes and deaths, and multiple funerals were
taking place on Wednesday morning.
The Israel Defence Forces' daily summary mentioned a targeted raid
in the Zaytun area in northern Gaza, and operations in Khan Younis.
"Troops of the Givati Brigade conducted activities in eastern Khan
Younis and killed approximately 20 terrorists in encounters over the
past day," it said.
"IDF Paratroopers expanded activities in western Khan Younis,
targeting and killing terrorists with precise sniper fire and
striking terror infrastructure. Additionally, two armed terrorists
on bicycles approached IDF troops, who responded and killed them."
Gaza's health ministry said a total of 69,333 people had been
injured in Gaza since the start of the war on Oct. 7, in addition to
the 29,313 deaths, with 118 killed in the past 24 hours.
The war was triggered by Hamas militants who attacked southern
Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostage,
according to Israel.
Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has responded with an air and ground
assault on Gaza that has displaced most of the population of 2.3
million, caused widespread hunger and laid waste to much of the
territory.
(Additional reporting by Ahmed Elimam in Dubai and Ari Rabinovitch
in Jerusalem; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Sharon
Singleton)
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