ISRAEL KILLED 200 PALESTINIANS, DISPLACED 300,000 IN GAZA WITHIN 48 HOURS: MEDIA OFFICE

GAZA CITY/ISTANBUL, May 18 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The Israeli army has killed an excess of 200 Palestinians and forcibly displaced 300,000 from the northern Gaza Strip to Gaza City in the last two days, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported, citing the Gaza Media Office.

“In yet another crime added to Israel’s bloody record, more than 200 martyrs were killed in north Gaza governorate alone over the past 48 hours, in a continuing series of massacres,” it said in a statement on Saturday.

The Israeli army also completely or partially destroyed more than 1,000 housing units, and forcibly displaced more than 300,000 civilians towards Gaza City, which lacks the infrastructure needed to shelter them, added the Office.

It pointed out that “around 140 victims remain trapped under the rubble due to the Israeli army’s deliberate prevention of ambulance and civil defence teams from reaching bombing sites, in blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”

The statement noted that “Israeli drones focused on burning down hundreds of tents designated to shelter displaced people in the Tel al-Zaatar in Jabalia Camp, the city of Beit Lahia, and other areas in the north, amid suspicious international silence and active participation in the ongoing genocide.”

Regarding conditions in Gaza City, the Office stressed that “the city lacks tents or sufficient shelters, forcing thousands of families to take to the streets—particularly on al-Jalaa Street and in the al-Saftawi area—amid a total absence of basic necessities such as food, water, and medicine, under tight siege and continuous bombardment.”

The Office called for “immediate and effective international intervention to stop the massacres, send international rescue teams to recover the bodies and treat the wounded, open the crossings immediately for the entry of humanitarian, relief, and medical aid, and hold Israeli leaders accountable before international courts.”

During United States (US) President Donald Trump’s recent four-day Gulf tour, Israeli forces killed more than 378 Palestinians -- nearly four times the number its military has killed in the four days prior to his visit, which saw about 100 fatalities, according to Anadolu’s tally of Gaza Health Ministry data.

Since March 2, Israel has barred all supplies, including food, water and medicine from entering Gaza.

Israel also abandoned a ceasefire and resumed bombarding Gaza on March 18. The death toll since October 2023, when the war began, has surpassed 53,200.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU