World News

Hamas announces ‘nine hostages have been killed in last 24 hours due to Israeli airstrikes’ – as terror group accuses IDF of bombing convoy of fleeing Palestinians

Hamas’ armed wing said on Saturday that nine captives including four foreigners, were killed due to Israeli air strikes in Gaza over the past 24 hours.

A statement from Al Qassam Brigades on its Telegram channel said the captives were killed ‘because of the zionist bombardment on the areas they were staying in’. 

It came as an Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian convoy fleeing northern Gaza on a route reportedly approved by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) killed as many as 70 people on Friday, the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry has said.

Women and children as young as two to five were among the dead after a strike hit a Palestinian convoy of vehicles fleeing northern Gaza to the south, a BBC report said.

The IDF had allowed 1.1million civilians just 24 hours to escape to the south of the territory, a deadline that ended at 3am BST. It then said today that Gazans could flee safely via two main roads between 10am and 4pm local time (8AM – 2pm BST).

An Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian convoy fleeing northern Gaza on a route reportedly approved by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) killed as many as 70 people, the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry has said

The aftermath of an alleged Israeli airstrike on a route fleeing the north of Gaza yesterday

An Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian convoy fleeing northern Gaza on a route reportedly approved by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) killed as many as 70 people, the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry has said

Many Palestinians are struggling to escape from areas targeted by the Israeli military while grappling with a growing water crisis after Israel stopped the flow of resources to the region.

Reports emerged yesterday afternoon alongside video of the devastation of the scene after the strike.

The BBC Verify service said it has confirmed that the strike happened on Salah-al-Din street, which is one of two evacuation routes from north Gaza to the south.

Hamas terrorists have urged civilians to ignore the evacuation order and some are refusing to leave, with Mahmoud Shalabi – director of Medical Aid for Palestinians – saying ‘no place was safe in Gaza’ and he hoped to ‘die with dignity’.

The BBC identified at least 12 bodies in the footage, mostly women and children – some of whom appear to be as young as two to five.

As Gazans fled the north yesterday after Israel issued an evacuation order, the road was packed with traffic.

The BBC report said the video was likely filmed at around 5.30pm local time because of the placement of the shadows.

Most of the people killed in the strike can be seen mangled and lying on the back of a flatbed lorry surrounded by pools of blood – as other victims lay dead around the road. Other cars destroyed in the strike are also seen.


As a group of men ran towards a lorry, some climbed aboard as others filmed the scene. Prayers and cries over the victims of the strike were shouted by people at the scene, as smoke filled the air.

The body of a child – who the BBC say is likely to be no more than four years old – is then seen on the footage. 

The Palestinian health ministry said that 70 people were killed at the scene and blamed Israel for the attack, the BBC reports.

BBC Verify later said they had confirmed another video of a Palestinian Convoy fleeing northern Gaza near the location where the strike happened.

The report said that more than 30 people were on the vehicle, which was filmed before the strike – likely at between 3.30pm and 5.20pm local time yesterday.

Sky News asked the IDF’s Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner to comment, who said: ‘I am not aware of any IDF strikes at this time at that location, but we will be updating throughout the day.’

When he was pressed over what it could mean if it was proven that Israel was responsible for the strike, he made clear that the facts need to be established first, saying it was possible that Hamas could be ‘doing it themselves’.

He said: ‘We need to be very clear what exactly happened and we also need to be aware that Hamas is booby trapping roads.

‘They could be doing it themselves. Who knows? We don’t.

‘We need to be very, very cautious in judging before we know the facts.’

Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
247

Related posts

Navalny’s widow vows to continue his fight against the Kremlin and punish Putin for his death

BBC Brk News

Turkey’s Erdogan accuses the West of ‘barbarism’ and Islamophobia in the war in Gaza

BBC Brk News

PepsiCo profit gets a bump on fewer charges, but sales slip after repeated price hikes

BBC Brk News

Leave a Comment