إسرائيل تهاجم الفلسطينيين في خان يونس بعد أيام من مجزرة المواصي
التاريخ: 
22/07/2024
المؤلف: 

Israel ordered the evacuation of some 400,000 Palestinians from eastern Khan Yunis, a designated ‘safe zone,’ giving them minutes to flee the subsequent carpet-bombing of the area. Leaflets were dropped on July 22, demanding the already-displaced residents of the area to flee to Al-Mawasi, south of the city, a site of another gruesome massacre committed by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) mere days ago. 

On Saturday, July 13, the IOF killed at least 90 Palestinians in the military operation, with over 300 injured, as reported by Al Jazeera

Gaza does not have infrastructure — nor the privilege of time — to handle the aftermath of a massacre before the next one strikes. The most recent Israeli assault today resulted in the killing of 70 Palestinians and the critical injury of 200 more. Reuters reported that Palestinians in towns near the eastern side of Khan Yunis were fired at as bombs fell from the skies. Meanwhile, “tanks advanced for more than two kilometers into Bani Suhaila, forcing residents to flee under fire.” 

Al-Mawasi, a refugee camp in Southern Gaza “filled with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians living in tents,” was also designated as a “safe zone” by the Israeli regime. Throughout this genocide, we have seen the IOF exhibit a pattern of attacking humanitarian spaces. So much so that the declaration of a “safe zone” should elicit anticipation of an incoming attack. 

Just as with previous attacks, the Occupation spouts lies to attempt to justify their genocidal intent. Their reasoning for the July 13 belligerent assault was to assassinate Hamas military chief, Mohammed Deif, and senior Hamas commander, Rafa Salama. The resistance group responded by revealing that “Deif and Salama were not killed in the attack,” calling the premise of Israel’s assault “false.” Today’s attack was carried under the guise that Hamas militants were “attempting to regroup,” as reported by Reuters.  

The al-Mawasi Massacre of July 13

The only people who continue to be the primary target of the IOF’s bombardment are the elderly, women, men, and children seeking shelter in tents. It was even reported by Palestinian journalist Firas Abu Sharkh, that the IOFdirectly targeted Civil Defence and Ministry of Health teams working to recover the dead and wounded in Mawasi.” Euro-Med Monitor shared on X, that “an Israeli drone equipped with a machine gun opened fire at ambulances, rescue crews, and civilians who were trying to evacuate the wounded.”

Survivors of the al-Mawasi attack spoke to The Middle East Eye and recounted their experience. Palestinians compared the scenes they witnessed to what they imagined the day of judgment would look like, reiterating that there is no place else to go in Gaza. One of the displaced Palestinians interviewed asked: “Should we dig our own graves and bury ourselves?” Many Palestinians consider the psychological torture and physical exhaustion of being continuously displaced and maimed in Gaza to be worse than martyrdom. 

The New Arab reports that this operation was the “deadliest” onslaught Gaza has experienced in weeks. The Zionist regime openly admitted to having dropped five 2,000-pound bombs on the tent camp. These bombs are supplied by the United States. Predictably, the attack was prompted after talks of a permanent ceasefire deal have been in the works since at least the beginning of July. These talks have come to nothing and appear to be a smokescreen, allowing for ethnic cleansing to continue while audiences dependent on legacy media outlets are misled about U.S.-Israeli diplomatic maneuverings. 

War-Criminal-in-Chief Netanyahu 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington today. His itinerary includes a meeting with President Biden and VP Harris, in what media outlets have described as a “critical” visit for “prospects of a ceasefire in Gaza.” Netanyahu is also scheduled to address Congress on Wednesday, likely facing swarms of protesters at the Capitol demanding the war criminal’s arrest and an end to the genocide in Gaza. 

Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected ceasefire deals since October. Instead of opting to come to an agreement and accept the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for an end to the 17-year-long siege on Gaza, the genocidal Israeli regime has chosen to murder its own citizens in order to prioritize its extermination campaign against Palestinians. All of Netanyahu’s excuses as to why he is carrying out an extermination campaign — as well as his constant rejection and sabotaging of a ceasefire deal — makes clear  that Israel has onegoal: erase Gaza.

In May, The Electronic Intifada published an analysis labeling the popular Israeli sacrificial mindset as “a murder-suicide pact.” Such is further reflected in the Israeli military practice of the Hannibal Directive. Reporter Asa Winstanley wrote, “many Israelis seem willing to sacrifice their own civilians on the altar of Zionism — and sometimes even themselves too.”

With no ceasefire in sight, Palestinians in Gaza have no clue as to what direction their lives will take. The only thing that is clear is that as the U.S. and other countries continue to send the Israelweapons — and as much of the world stands by silently — the Israeli regime knows it has the green light to continue slaughtering droves of people, while lying about it unabashedly. Dozens of nations that are allied with the Israeli regime are directly complicit in the hell on Earth that has been created in Gaza.

Laura Albast contributed reporting.