Gaza Civil Defence: Israeli brutal bombing enforces forced displacement policy

The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza said Sunday that the Israeli occupation army completely destroyed more than 50 buildings in one of the most devastating days of the war, warning that the bombardment aims to reinforce Israel’s policy of forced displacement.

Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal reported that since dawn, Israeli forces had bombed more than 50 buildings and partially damaged 100 others, including high-rise towers sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinians.

He added that the Israeli army deliberately targeted buildings adjacent to makeshift camps, leading to the destruction of more than 200 tents. The bombardment also hit mosques and playgrounds in Gaza City.

Basal noted that emergency teams received distress calls from residents trapped under rubble in the Zarqa area of the Tuffah neighbourhood, after entire buildings were bombed while families were still inside. Civil defence crews, he said, are exhausted under the relentless attacks.

“Today is one of the most difficult days since the war resumed on 18 March,” Basal said, accusing Israel of deliberately using mass destruction to reinforce its forced displacement policy. He urged the international community to act immediately to stop the Israeli ongoing massacres against Palestinian civilians.

Meanwhile, UNRWA warned that thousands of Palestinians are now trapped in overcrowded and unsafe areas after being displaced yet again by the latest attacks.

The Gaza Ministry of Health announced that the death toll from Israeli bombardment since October 2023, has risen to more than 64,368 killed and 162,776 wounded.

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