Israel continues shelling parts of Gaza, accelerates West Bank assaults

Israeli forces on Sunday continued artillery shelling parts of eastern Gaza City, while air strikes also targeted areas east of Khan Younis and central Gaza, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

The waves of repeated shelling, targeting civilian areas, displacement camps, and homes, come as Gaza grapples with a brutal winter and limited aid coming into the enclave.

Strong winds have swept several tents away, further displacing families and leaving them exposed to heavy rains and unbearable conditions.

Israel’s over two-year war on Gaza, determined to be a genocide by leading rights groups and scholars, has destroyed over 80 percent of the enclave’s buildings and displaced almost the entire population.

Palestinians and human rights activists have decried Israel’s actions, noting that since the truce agreement in October, at least 414 people have been killed by Israeli fire.

According to reports in Palestinian media, in the past 48 hours, at least four people were killed by Israeli fire, while 25 other bodies were found and recovered.

The latest developments come amid growing unrest caused by Israeli raids and attacks in the occupied West Bank.

On Sunday, Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Mustafa held a call with Qabatiya mayor Ahmed Zakarneh, following a violent and widespread Israeli incursion on the city.

The two-day raid saw homes violently searched and ransacked, roads closed and people prevented from going to work,

During the call, the prime minister said that relevant government institutions have been instructed to respond to the consequences of the assault and should address the damage to infrastructure and private property, as well as restore public services.

The Palestinian Wafa news agency on Sunday also reported that Israeli forces broke windows of several Palestinian vehicles in the town of Deir Dibwan, located east of Ramallah.

Eyewitnesses told the outlet that soldiers attacked vehicles that were parked on one of the town’s main roads, shattering the windshields.

Days earlier, at least seven Palestinians were wounded in attacks carried out by Israeli settlers under the protection of Israeli forces in the Khallat al-Lawz area.

In Ramallah, Israeli forces on Sunday also closed key entrances to the city, restricting the movement of people and preventing them from going to other parts of the West Bank.

A correspondent for the Wafa news agency said that the closures forced Palestinians and commuters to take lengthy detours to reach their destinations or workplace.

A Palestinian worker succumbed to his injuries on Sunday after falling from the separation wall in the town of Al-Ram, north of occupied Jerusalem.

Jihad Hassan Omar Qazmar, 58, was injured while attempting to reach his workplace inside Israel, and was transferred to the hospital overnight. He was later pronounced dead.

Palestinians are often forced to make their way over the wall due to Israeli checkpoints blocking their access to certain cities. Without crossing into Israel, many Palestinians would not be able to secure a livelihood, nor access vital services such as education and medical care, or visit family members. 

Since the start of the war on Gaza, Israel has installed over 900 military checkpoints and iron gates across the occupied West Bank, a report by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission states.