Smoke rising from Israeli bombing of the Khan Yunis area (French)

Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that dozens were martyred and injured as the Israeli bombing continued on the north and south of the Gaza Strip, while the Israeli Channel 12 said that the army had begun preparations to launch an operation in Rafah in the event of the collapse of prisoner negotiations.

An Al Jazeera correspondent said that an Israeli bombing targeted a house on Al-Beltaji Street in the Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, leaving 3 martyrs and wounding 20 others.

The reporter confirmed that there were casualties as a result of an Israeli raid that targeted the vicinity of Al-Qassam Mosque in the Beit Lahia project in the northern Gaza Strip.

A citizen was also martyred by Israeli occupation army gunfire in Hamad Town, north of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

Al Jazeera's correspondent said that the Israeli occupation launched raids targeting the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, and other areas north of the Gaza Strip, and another raid targeted the town of Al-Mughraqa, north of Al-Nuseirat, in the center of the Gaza Strip.

The correspondent indicated that an Israeli bombing targeted residential buildings in the Al-Rimal neighborhood in central Gaza City.

During the night hours, the occupation forces launched an air strike on Al-Shati camp, west of Gaza City.


The occupation also launched an air strike on an electrical appliances center in the center of Jabalia camp, which led to a fire breaking out at the site.

He added that Israeli military vehicles were firing in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, west of Gaza City, coinciding with artillery shelling.

A soldier was killed

On the other hand, the Israeli occupation army announced that one soldier was killed and another was seriously injured in a clash in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday evening, Wednesday.

This comes as clashes continue between the resistance factions and the occupation forces in the vicinity of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, which has been besieged by the occupation for 11 days, while the Israeli army announced that 22 soldiers were injured in Gaza during the past 24 hours.

The Al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) - announced that its fighters were able to snipe an Israeli soldier in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Medical Complex.

For its part, the Al-Quds Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement - said that it bombed gatherings of occupation soldiers in the vicinity of the Al-Shifa Complex with 60 mm mortar shells.

The Al-Quds Brigades published scenes of the clashes and targeting of the Israeli military vehicle in the vicinity of the Al-Shifa Complex.

Israeli preparations

In a related context, Israeli Channel 12 said that the army has begun preparations to launch an operation in Rafah in the event of the collapse of prisoner negotiations.

For days, the Qatari capital, Doha, has been witnessing indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Qatari and Egyptian, but they have not yet led to a prisoner exchange deal.

Channel 12 indicated that the Israeli army has taken actual steps, including beginning to isolate the city and preparing to evacuate civilians.

The channel added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the purchase of 40,000 tents from China to set up in Gaza in preparation for the ground operation in Rafah.

Meanwhile, Israeli Channel 13 said that the administration of US President Joe Biden recently asked Israel to allow the arrival of American officers, to make plans regarding Rafah with Israeli army officers.

The channel added that American officers are expected to arrive soon, and quoted a senior Israeli official that the United States sending officers to discuss the operation in Rafah is an indication of lack of trust.

Many countries, including the United States, asked Israel not to carry out any military action in Rafah without ensuring the safe evacuation of more than a million Palestinian civilians.

The United States has repeatedly confirmed in recent weeks that Israel has not presented any reliable plan regarding the evacuation of civilians from Rafah.

Israel, which killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in its devastating war on the Gaza Strip, forced most of the Palestinians in the northern and central Gaza Strip to flee to the city of Rafah, which borders Egypt, under the pretext that it was a safe area, but then it targeted it again with a number of raids that killed dozens.

Since last October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that has left tens of thousands dead and wounded, most of them children and women, according to Palestinian sources, which necessitated Tel Aviv’s trial before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing genocide.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies