Israeli forces carried out a deadly attack on a civilian vehicle in the Zeitoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City, leaving 11 dead, including seven children and two women, all members of the Abu Shaaban family, according to the Gaza Civil Defense.
Hamas spokesman Mahmoud Basal condemned the incident as a “new massacre” and accused the occupation forces of perpetrating crimes against innocent civilians. The attack occurred on Friday, October 17, when the vehicle carrying the Abu Shaaban family was hit after crossing the yellow line, an area controlled by Israeli forces.
According to Basal, the victims “could have been warned or treated in a way that would not have led to death, but what happened confirms that the occupation remains bloodthirsty and determined to commit crimes against innocent civilians.”
This deliberate attack is part of a series of ceasefire violations by Israel, according to field reports. The occupation forces have continued to attack Palestinian civilians attempting to return to their homes in Gaza City, despite the cessation of hostilities agreement.
In a related incident, on Friday, a woman was injured by Israeli drone fire in the town of Abasan al-Jadida, east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, according to local sources.
The Gaza Center for Human Rights reported that, as of last Wednesday, Israeli forces had committed 36 ceasefire violations in the Gaza Strip, a number that continues to rise.
These actions include attacks on civilians and the use of lethal force in areas where the cessation of hostilities is supposed to apply, which has generated growing international condemnation.
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) issued a statement condemning Israel’s “premeditated intention to attack defenseless civilians without any justification” following the murder of the 11 members of the Shaaban family.
“This massacre occurs in the context of the occupation’s continued violations of the recently reached ceasefire agreement,” they stated in the letter.
They later added: “This horrific crime adds to the occupation’s long history of massacres and violations, and confirms that the blood of our children and women remains a direct target of the Zionist killing machine, which brutally violates human values and international law.”
IMAGE CREDIT: A civilian vehicle destroyed in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza, after an Israeli attack that left 11 dead. Photo: EFE
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
