Ten people from the same family died on Saturday (15.05.2021) in an Israeli bombing in the western Gaza Strip, medical sources of this Palestinian enclave ruled by the radical Islamist group Hamas reported. It is the deadliest since the attacks began in response to the Israeli Army’s launch of rockets this week, which usually warns the inhabitants in advance to evict the buildings it is going to bomb.
Eight children and two women, all from the Abu Hatab family, perished in the Al Shati refugee camp as the three-story building they were in, according to these Gazan medical sources, collapsed after the bombing. The spiral of violence raises fears of a new ‘intifada’, at a time when there have been no peace talks in years. The Palestinians also commemorate Nakba Day on Saturday, reminiscent of the approximately 700,000 refugees that led to the first Arab-Israeli war of 1948, increasing the chance of further unrest.
The Israeli Army admitted that during the night it carried out at least five bombings throughout the Gaza Strip. Among the objectives, according to a statement from the army itself, was one of the headquarters of Taufik Abu Naim, commander of the Hamas security forces, as well as several “places used for rocket launches” north and south of the enclave, as well as buildings of the Islamist group’s “military intelligence”, considered as a terrorist by the European Union and the United States among others.
Information war
In the early morning of Friday, an operation involving 160 fighter jets and dropped 80 tons of explosives in 40 minutes destroyed much of Hamas’ tunnel network. But he also killed a family of six in his home and led many to seek refuge in UN-run buildings. One witness told AP that the fighter jets drop three bombs on his house without warning residents.
Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said the armed forces aim to minimize collateral damage by attacking military targets. But he explained that the measures taken in other attacks, such as warning shots for civilians to leave, were not ‘feasible this time.”
During that attack, in addition, a tweet from the Israeli Armed Forces that said “air and ground troops are currently attacking the Gaza Strip” sowed confusion among international media. Indeed, ground artillery was involved in the bombings, but the short and ambiguous message could imply a ground incursion and was interpreted by some international media outlets. Experts consulted by AP said it could be a strategy to confuse Hamas.
However, The Wall Street Journal correspondent asked Lieutenant Colonel Conricus for confirmation. Her response was that “there are ground troops in Gaza.” He later justified himself by saying it was an “internal misunderstanding.” “These things can happen sometimes in the middle of a complex operation with a lot of movements,” he explained, adding that as soon as he realized the error he corrected it.
The Palestinian authorities’ last balance was Friday night and accounted for 126 people killed, including 31 children, and 950 injured in Israel’s bombings since last Monday in Gaza. In addition, more than 2,000 rockets have been launched from Gaza into Israeli territory, where nine people, including a child and a soldier, have been killed, and 560 wounded.
