Image Credits - Asharq Al-Awsat
Rescue crews in Gaza are in a race against time as they struggle to reach victims trapped under the rubble of bombed buildings. Dwindling fuel supplies and relentless Israeli strikes have severely hampered their efforts.
The civil defence agency warns that hundreds of injured Palestinians may lose their lives as fuel shortages threaten to bring rescue efforts to a complete halt. Israeli forces have exacerbated the crisis by targeting and destroying heavy equipment used to recover victims from the rubble.
As rescue teams scramble, the number of victims still trapped continues to rise. Israeli jets bombed homes in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Tuesday morning. In a separate strike, Israeli artillery shelling in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood left one person dead and many others wounded, according to reports from Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza.
The Israeli military has surrounded evacuation zones and shelters in Jabalia with tanks, bulldozers and armoured vehicles, further jeopardizing civilian safety. In the Nuseirat refugee camp, an Israeli airstrike on a house killed 14 Palestinians, including children.
The mounting death toll has sparked international outrage, with the UN chief demanding an investigation after Israeli forces fired on a UN vehicle in Rafah, killing the first foreign staff member in the conflict.
As the violence rages, Gaza’s healthcare system is also perilously close to collapse, according to the Health Ministry. With rescue efforts severely impaired, the humanitarian crisis is rapidly deteriorating amid the escalating Israeli offensive.