The recent conflicts between Israel and Hamas have escalated further as Israeli air strikes have been reported to have blasted United Nations shelters. This has been confirmed by a UN official, as Israel has announced that it has completely encircled its major city of Gaza.
The airstrikes that were carried out on UN-protected shelters began early Monday morning. At least three of the sites that were targeted by the airstrikes were homes which contained individuals who had sought refuge within the shelters. By Monday afternoon, the number of casualties had increased to seven, including a five-year-old child, according to Palestinian health officials.
The United Nations condemned the high civilian death toll that resulted from the bombing. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement that the UN “condemns in the strongest terms all acts of violence against civilians as well as any attacks against, and use of violence against UN personnel and facilities.” He added that the UN was “determining further details and the veracity of information, including reports of a rising death count.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the airstrikes, saying that it was in response to continued Hamas rocket fire targeting Israeli citizens. He said in a statement that “Israel’s response was a necessary action to protect Israeli citizens. A wide variety of methods have been employed to reduce the range of Hamas rockets and ensure the safety of Israeli citizens.”
The recent escalation of conflict has resulted in an increase in violence in the region. Over 1,000 rockets have been fired towards Israel from Gaza since the beginning of this week. In addition, at least 119 Palestinians have been killed in the violence.
The situation in Gaza is increasingly becoming untenable as the region is now completely encircled by Israel. The Israeli Defence Force has stated that it has closed its borders and Israeli tanks and troops are now blocking all access to the area. With hostilities increasing by the day, it is hard to see an end in sight for this conflict.
