The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) committed numerous massacres all over the Gaza strip during the last few days killing dozens of people. IOF launched airstrikes and artillery shelling on residential buildings, schools sheltering displaced people, houses, and tents in different areas of the besieged enclave including Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and Gaza city in the north, and Deir al-Balah and Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
In the south, incursions were carried out by the IOF in Rafah city and Al-Mawasi area, forcing dozens of Palestinian families to flee towards the city of Khan Younis. According to residents, the IOF blew up several houses in Rafah and set several tents ablaze.
Kamal Adwan Hospital surrounded by booby-trapped devices
Tuesday, December 17 another war crime was added to the IOF’s record after Israeli soldiers placed booby trapped devices around Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya. Explosive robots and hidden bombs were deployed around the hospital according to eyewitnesses.
Read: One year since the abduction of Dr. Ahmed Muhanna, Gaza health workers endure more attacks
In addition, the hospital has been under continuous Israeli attacks for the last few days, which resulted in partial damage to the facility, its surroundings and courtyards. The repeated assaults on the hospital also caused damage to generators, electricity, water, and oxygen supplies, which would turn the hospital into “a graveyard for everyone inside”, according to Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr. Hussam Abu Saffiyeh.
Grandfather of “Soul of my soul” killed in Nuseirat refugee camp
Khaled Nabhan, also known as Abu Diaa, the Palestinian grandfather who became widely known because of his heartfelt phrase “soul of my soul”, was among the civilians killed in the Israeli attacks on Nuseirat refugee camp on Monday, December 16.
Nabhan had become an icon of resilience and compassion after a video that showed him hugging the body of his slain 3-year-old granddaughter Reem and calling her “soul of my soul” went viral in November last year. On that day, the grief-stricken grandfather received the lifeless body of his granddaughter Reem who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp alongside her brother Tariq (5). The footage of Abu Diaa embracing Reem with tenderness, touched the hearts of people around the world, symbolizing the tremendous loss and distress endured by Palestinian families in the Gaza strip.
For many, the footage also broke a malicious stereotype that mainstream media outlets and the cultural industry have relentlessly attempted to impose of pious Muslim men being depicted as terrorists.
Israel claims ceasefire deal “is closer than ever”
Amid the escalation of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza strip, media reports and statements from both sides have indicated significant progress in the Gaza ceasefire and captives-for-prisoner swap deal.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly told Knesset lawmakers on Monday that “Israel is closer than ever to another hostage deal”. Katz’s remarks came one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement after a call with US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday: “We are working all the time, without rest, to bring our hostages home.”
Some media outlets also reported on Tuesday that Netanyahu was on his way to the Egyptian capital Cairo for captives’ swap deal talks, but his spokesperson Omer Dostri, denied the reports on his account on X. “Contrary to the wave of rumors, Prime Minister Netanyahu is not in Cairo,” Dostri wrote.
Meanwhile, Hamas said in a statement, on Tuesday, that talks held in Qatar for bringing a truce in Gaza and a swap deal were “serious and positive”. “Hamas affirms that, in light of the serious and positive discussions taking place today in Doha under the auspices of our Qatari and Egyptian brothers, reaching an agreement for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange is possible if the occupation ceases to impose new conditions,” the statement reads.
