Hamas denounced on Tuesday an Israeli bombardment which killed at least 50 people in the Jabaliya refugee camp.
The war between Israel and Hamas is in its 25th day, Tuesday October 31. After the unprecedented attack of the Islamist movement on October 7 on Israeli soil, the Jewish state is now relentlessly bombing the Gaza Strip. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “deeply worried”, warning of the risk of “dangerous escalation beyond Gaza”. Here’s what to remember from the day.
Hamas reports at least 50 dead in Israeli bombardment
The Hamas government’s health ministry said Tuesday that at least 50 people had been killed in an Israeli bombardment in a refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. The bombing, the final toll of which could be considerably heavier according to the same ministry, destroyed “at least 20 buildings”, in the Jabaliya camp.
The Israeli army itself confirmed this attack, adding that it had killed a Hamas commander. “Its elimination took place as part of a large operation to combat terrorists and terrorist infrastructure belonging to the Jabaliya Central Battalion, which had taken control of civilian buildings in the Gaza Strip,” the army said.
On the Israeli side, two soldiers died in the Gaza Strip, according to the army. As it advances in the Palestinian enclave, the Israeli army reported earlier in the day “fierce fights” with Hamas.
The Quai d’Orsay announces the death of two French children in the Gaza Strip
Two children of French nationality died in the north of the Gaza Strip, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement on Tuesday. French authorities are having difficulty getting in touch with their mother, who “she herself was injured, as was her third child”.
“We urge once again that foreign nationals and in particular our compatriots can leave Gaza (…) France reiterates its urgent call for a humanitarian truce so that humanitarian aid can reach those who need it”, writes the Quai d’Orsay. The press release does not say when or in what circumstances these deaths took place.
Egypt to receive wounded Palestinians
The Egyptian authorities are preparing to welcome 81 injured Palestinians from the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, franceinfo learned on Tuesday from the Gaza border crossing authority, confirming information from AFP.
“Medical teams will be present tomorrow [mercredi] at the crossing point [de Rafah] to examine the cases coming (from Gaza) upon their arrival (…) and determine the hospitals to which they will be sent”a medical official in the Egyptian town of Al-Arich told AFP.
UN Secretary-General says he is “deeply concerned”
Antonio Guterres expressed his fears on Tuesday “the intensification of the conflict” between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave, warning of the risk of a “dangerous escalation beyond Gaza”. He also condemned the death of “civilians in Gaza” and reiterated its call for a humanitarian ceasefire “immediate”.
The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken will also visit Israel on Friday as part of a new tour of the Middle East, his spokesperson announced on Tuesday. There’s “will meet with Israeli government officials and make other stops in the region”he told journalists.