Four killed in Gaza strike and two killed in Israel stabbing raise fears of escalating conflict
TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli airstrike early Sunday killed four individuals in a tent camp sheltering displaced people inside a hospital complex in central Gaza, while a stabbing incident carried out by a Palestinian resulted in the deaths of two individuals in a Tel Aviv suburb.
Tensions have escalated after nearly 10 months of conflict in Gaza and the elimination of two senior militants in separate attacks in Lebanon and Iran last week. Those eliminations prompted threats of retaliation from Iran and its associates and heightened concerns of a more devastating regional conflict.
An elderly woman and an octogenarian male were the casualties of the stabbing perpetrated by a Palestinian militant, as reported by Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service and a nearby hospital. Two other males sustained injuries. Authorities indicated that the assailant was subdued and a manhunt for additional suspects was in progress.
Rescuers discovered the wounded individuals at three separate locations, each approximately 500 meters apart, raising concerns of potential multiple perpetrators.
Israel had been preparing for reprisals subsequent to the elimination of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ chief political figure in an assault in Iran’s capital last week. Both individuals were connected to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which was initiated by Hamas’ incursion into Israel on October 7.
In Gaza, an Israeli airstrike earlier on Sunday struck a tent camp housing displaced individuals in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, resulting in the deaths of four individuals, including a female, and injuries to others, according to health officials. They did not specify whether the deceased were civilians or combatants.
A journalist from the Associated Press captured footage of men rushing to the scene to aid the injured and recover bodies while attempting to extinguish the blaze.
The hospital in Deir al-Balah is the primary medical facility in operation in central Gaza, and thousands have sought refuge there after fleeing their residences in the war-torn region.
An Israeli airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City on Saturday resulted in the deaths of at least 16 individuals and injuries to 21 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which disclosed the toll on Sunday. Israel’s military, which frequently accuses Palestinian militants of using civilian areas for cover, reported targeting a Hamas command post.
Hamas-affiliated militants claimed the lives of around 1,200 individuals, primarily civilians, and captured roughly 250 individuals during their surprise incursion into southern Israel last October.
Israel’s extensive offensive in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of at least 39,550 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. Intense airstrikes and ground operations have caused widespread devastation and forced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants to flee, often multiple times.
Hezbollah has engaged in frequent exchanges of fire with Israel along the Lebanon border since the onset of the conflict, purportedly to alleviate pressure on its Iran-backed ally, Hamas. The ongoing hostilities have intensified in recent months, fueling concerns of a potentially more ruinous regional confrontation.
Over 590 Palestinians have perished due to Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank since the conflict began in Gaza, as per the Palestinian Health Ministry. The majority were killed during Israeli incursions and violent demonstrations. Israel seized control of the West Bank, Gaza, and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war, and the Palestinians seek all three territories for their prospective state.
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Magdy filed this report from Cairo.
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