The local civil defense reported 66 people dead Thursday in Israeli military operations in Gaza, including 17, including children, in a strike before a clinic of Deir al-Balah where the army said it “targeted a Hamas fighter”.
An air raid hit a group of people who were waiting in the morning before a medical establishment in Deir al-Balah, Mohammad al-Moughayyir, a first aid organization, told AFP. Among the 17 dead are at least eight children, according to him.
“There was no warning, just a direct strike among civilians,” Mohamed Abou Ouda told AFP, who was in the queue before the clinic. “What have we did and have our children did to deserve this?”
“We were dozens to wait,” said another witness, Youssef al-Aydi. “Suddenly, we heard the sound of an airplane approaching, then the explosion sounded. The ground trembled under our feet and around us it was only blood and heartbreaking cries. ”
The Deir al-Balah clinic is managed by the humanitarian NGO Project Hope, which reported the death of 15 people, including ten children and two women.
“The project of Project Hope are places of refuge in Gaza, where people bring their young children, where women receive care during and after their pregnancy, where malnutrition is dealt with,” the NGO manager, Rabih Torbay, said in a statement.
“However, this morning, innocent families have been mercilessly attacked while they were lining up while waiting for the doors to open,” he added, calling for an immediate ceasefire.
