CAIRO: As Israeli tanks advanced farther into the southern city of Rafah, eight Palestinians were killed on Sunday in an Israeli airstrike on a training college close to Gaza City that was being used to distribute aid, according to Palestinian witnesses.
According to the witnesses, a portion of a vocational college operated by UNRWA—a UN agency that provides relief to displaced families—was struck by the strike.
“While some individuals came come to pick up coupons, others had been forced from their homes and were seeking refuge. While some were getting coupons, others were filling up water bottles, and all of a sudden we heard something fall. Those carrying water spilled it, so we fled, according to witness Mohammed Tafesh.
A low-rise structure was completely destroyed, and bodies covered in blankets were arranged by the side of the road, ready to be removed, as reported by a Reuters photographer.
As part of a drive into western and northern Rafah, where they have blown up numerous buildings in recent days, residents stated that Israeli tanks had moved to the boundary of the Mawasi camp for displaced people in the northwest of the city and were engaged in severe combat with fighters led by Hamas.
In the meantime, the army acknowledged on Sunday that soldiers had broken protocol when they handcuffed a wounded Palestinian man to a military truck during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
The event happened on Saturday, and video of it went viral. It shows a citizen of Jenin being strapped horizontally to the military jeep’s bonnet as it drives down a small alley.
The Palestinian was recognized by the medical staff as 24-year-old Mujahid Raed Abbadi of the Jabriyat neighborhood, which is situated between Jenin and the town of Burqin.
Palestinian athlete’s family killed
The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) stated that Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed Ahmad Abu al-Atta, a Palestinian soccer player, and his family in their home.
The PFA said in a statement on Saturday that Abu al-Atta, 34, who was a defender for the Gaza Strip team Al-Ahly Gaza, passed away after the airstrike struck their home in Gaza City, along with his wife Ruba Esmael Abu al-Atta, a medical professional, and their two children.
The PFA did not provide a date for the airstrike, but local media claimed that it happened on Friday.
International referee Hani Mesmeh passed away on Monday, according to the PFA, following injuries he received from an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip in May.
Hezbollah attacks the barracks in Israel
In the meantime, the Hezbollah organization in Lebanon stated on Sunday that it had used an armed drone to attack two military locations in northern Israel in retaliation for the commander’s death.
Since Israel began its war on Gaza last year, there has been almost constant cross-border gunfire between the formidable militia backed by Iran and Hamas.
Hours after it released a video clip that appeared to indicate places in Israel along with their coordinates, raising the possibility of a full-scale confrontation between the two enemies, Hezbollah made its announcement.
One of the group’s commanders, Ayman Ghotmeh, was slain “in a treacherous Zionist raid” in Khiara, in the eastern Bekaa region of Lebanon, the Jamaa Islamiya group announced on Saturday.
Later, Israel acknowledged that it had executed the strike, claiming that Ghotmeh was in charge of arming Hamas, the armed wing of Jamaa Islamiya, and the Fajr Forces in the region.
Hezbollah announced on Sunday that its fighters attacked a military command position in the Beit Hillel barracks “with an attack drone” in retaliation for the assassination that the Israeli enemy had carried out in the town of Khiara.
Israeli minister travels to the US
Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, was scheduled to visit Washington on Sunday for “critical” discussions about the Gaza offensive and the escalating cross-border tensions with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The major ally of Israel, the United States, has been supplying Israel with guns and ammunition at a dramatically reduced rate in recent months. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed hope for quick action in this regard.
Declaring that “we are prepared for any action that may be required in Gaza, Lebanon, and in additional areas,” Gallant promised to “discuss developments in Gaza and Lebanon.”
“Our ties with the United States are more important than ever,” he emphasized. The outcome of this battle depends on our discussions with US officials.”
