Israeli fire kills 11 more Palestinians as its forces tighten siege in Jabalia

Israeli airstrikes killed 11 Palestinians in Gaza City on Thursday, medics said, while Israeli forces sent tanks into Jabalia in the north, where Palestinians and United Nations officials expressed alarm over shortages of food and medicine.

Residents of Jabalia said Israeli forces blew up clusters of houses from air, by tank shells and by placing bombs in buildings before blowing them up remotely.

Gaza's civil emergency service said it evacuated several wounded people from a school sheltering displaced Palestinians that caught fire after being hit by Israeli tank shells.

Residents said Israeli forces had effectively isolated Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya in the far north of the enclave from Gaza City, blocking movement except for those families with permission to heed evacuation orders and leave the three towns.

"We have written our death notes, and we are not leaving Jabalia," one resident told Reuters via a chat app. "The occupation (Israel) is punishing for not leaving our houses in the early days of the war, and we are not going now either. They are blowing up houses, and roads, and are starving us but we die once and we don't lose our pride," the father of four said, refusing to give his name fearing Israeli reprisal.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it had killed more than 50 Palestinian fighters over the past days in airstrikes.

The United States has told Israel that it must take steps to improve the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza in 30 days or face potential restrictions on military aid.

ACCESS FOR AID

The UN has long complained of obstacles to getting aid into Gaza and distributing it throughout the war zone, blaming impediments on Israel and lawlessness.  The UN said no food aid entered northern Gaza between Oct.2 and Oct.15.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military unit that oversees aid and commercial shipments to Gaza said 50 trucks carrying food, water, medical supplies, and shelter equipment provided by Jordan were transferred to northern Gaza.

Ismail Al Thawabta, the director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, said Israeli comments about allowing aid into the enclave were misleading.

"The Israeli army is lying and trying to mislead public opinion regarding the entry of flour trucks," he told Reuters.

Reuters