Mass Funeral Held for 66 Victims as Palestinian Death Toll Surpasses 10,000 in Israel-Hamas War

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Israel-Gaza Conflict Enters Bloodiest Phase as Israeli Forces Seize Northern Gaza

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — In a significant escalation of the month-long conflict, Israeli forces have severed northern Gaza from the rest of the besieged territory and launched intense airstrikes, resulting in a Palestinian death toll surpassing 10,000. As Israeli troops prepare to enter Gaza City, a bloodier phase of the conflict is expected to unfold.

A mass funeral was held by Palestinians for the dozens killed in strikes in the southern region. Despite Israel’s call for civilians to seek refuge in the south, airstrikes have continued to target various locations across the coastal enclave.

Troops are now on the verge of entering Gaza City, and Palestinian militants, who have had years to prepare, are anticipated to engage in street-by-street battles, utilizing an extensive network of tunnels to launch ambushes.

The death toll on both sides is expected to rise in this unprecedented conflict. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that at least 10,022 Palestinians have been killed, without distinguishing between fighters and civilians. On the Israeli side, 1,400 lives have been lost, primarily among civilians, due to the Hamas incursion on October 7 that sparked the conflict.

Late on Sunday, the Israeli military announced the cutting off of northern Gaza from the south, marking a significant stage in the war. Additionally, the military reported that 450 targets were struck by aircraft overnight, and ground troops have taken control of a Hamas compound. A one-way corridor for residents to flee south is still available for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians remaining in Gaza City and other parts of the north.

The war has forced approximately 1.5 million Palestinians, or around 70% of Gaza’s population, to flee their homes. The scarcity of essential resources such as food, medicine, fuel, and water is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. U.N.-run schools, converted into shelters, have reached their capacity, leaving many displaced individuals to sleep on the streets.

Overnight, mobile phone and internet services experienced a third territory-wide outage since the war’s onset. While services have been gradually restored on Monday, the outages have hindered civilians’ ability to seek safety or call for emergency assistance.

Israel has rejected U.S. suggestions for a pause in fighting to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries and the release of approximately 240 hostages held by Hamas. Calls for a broader cease-fire from concerned Arab countries, including Jordan and Egypt, have also been dismissed by Israel.

Following days of intense diplomatic efforts across the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded his regional tour on Monday. Blinken acknowledged that securing a humanitarian pause, negotiating hostage releases, and planning for a post-Hamas Gaza are still a work in progress, without indicating any concrete achievements.

The conflict has also heightened tensions between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, resulting in cross-border exchanges of fire. In another incident underscoring the growing unrest, a Palestinian man stabbed and wounded two members of Israel’s paramilitary Border Police in East Jerusalem before being shot dead.

Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians demand all three territories for their future state. However, Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, which is not recognized by most of the international community, has led to ongoing disputes over the city’s status.

In a rare development, a Jordanian military cargo plane air-dropped medical aid to a field hospital in northern Gaza. This airdrop, the first of its kind during the conflict, provides an additional avenue for delivering aid besides Egypt’s Rafah crossing, which has been the sole entry point thus far.

While over 450 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Egypt since October 21, humanitarian workers argue that it is insufficient to meet the mounting needs of the territory’s 2.3 million Palestinians.

Northern Gaza is currently facing a severe water shortage due to the lack of fuel needed to operate municipal wells, as well as Israel’s shutdown of the region’s main water line. Over the past two days, seven water facilities across Gaza have sustained major damage from strikes, increasing the risk of sewage flooding. Israel has managed to restore two water pipelines in central and southern Gaza, according to the U.N.

Approximately 800,000 people have complied with Israeli military orders to seek refuge in southern Gaza. On Sunday, around 2,000 individuals, carrying only their most essential possessions, walked along Gaza’s main north-south highway. Witnessing tanks for the first time, a Palestinian man emotionally pleaded for mercy from the world.

Despite the evacuation orders, Israeli bombardments continue to target the territory, resulting in dozens of deaths in central and southern Gaza, which were designated as safe zones. Israel attributes civilian casualties to Hamas, accusing the militant group of operating within residential neighborhoods.

On Monday, Palestinians held a mass funeral for 66 victims outside a hospital in the central town of Deir al-Balah. Wrapped in white sheets on the ground, the bodies evoked a heart-wrenching scene, with a grief-stricken man placing his hand on a child’s body.

Additionally, an Israeli airstrike late Sunday claimed the lives of four civilians, including three children, in a vehicle in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military initially reported striking Hezbollah targets in response to anti-tank fire that killed an Israeli civilian. In retaliation, Hezbollah fired Grad rockets into Israel from southern Lebanon.

During the overnight strikes in Gaza, the Israeli military confirmed the killing of Jamal Mussa, a senior Hamas militant allegedly involved in a 1993 shooting attack against Israeli soldiers.

Since the ground offensive began over a week ago, 30 Israeli troops have lost their lives. Palestinian militants continue to launch rockets into Israel, disrupting daily life despite most of them being intercepted or falling in open areas. As a result, tens of thousands of Israelis residing near the volatile borders of Gaza and Lebanon have been forced to evacuate.

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press journalists Najib Jobain in Khan Younis, Amy Teibel and Sam McNeil in Jerusalem, and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report..