Israeli army kills 6 Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank

Israeli troops killed four Palestinians, including an elderly woman, in two separate incidents in the north and south of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, reported Xinhua, quoting the Gaza-based health authorities.

"Three Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces while returning to their homes near the Kuwait Roundabout, east of Gaza City. Their bodies were transferred to the Baptist Hospital," the health authorities said in a press statement.

In a separate incident, the health authorities reported that an elderly woman from the Mahna family was shot dead by Israeli forces east of the town of Al-Qarara, near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

The killings follow the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Netzarim Corridor -- a strip of land that bisected Gaza from north to south.

Meanwhile, the health authorities announced that the death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 48,189, with 111,640 others injured.

Gaza's health authorities reported eight deaths and two injuries in the past 24 hours, including seven bodies recovered from the rubble and one additional fatality.

They warned that more victims remain trapped beneath the debris in areas that are difficult to access due to ongoing shelling.

On Sunday, the health authorities urged Palestinian residents to donate blood, warning that supplies have been completely depleted after 15 months of war.

"Our blood bank is empty, and we need immediate donations to save lives," they said.

Meanwhile, at least two Palestinians, including a pregnant woman, were killed by the Israeli army in Nur Shams refugee camp in the north of the West Bank, the Ramallah-based Health Ministry said Sunday.

"Rahaf al-Ashqar, 21, and Sundus Shalabi, a 23-year-old pregnant woman, were killed by the Israeli army during its operation in Nur Shams refugee camp," the ministry said in a press statement.

The ministry added that medical crews were unable to save the unborn child as Israeli forces prevented ambulances from reaching Shalabi in time. By the time Shalabi was transported to the hospital, she and her fetus had succumbed to their injuries.

Meanwhile, the Israeli forces expanded their military operation from Tulkarm city into the Nur Shams camp, marking the 14th consecutive day of the offensive.

Local sources told Xinhua that Israeli forces were demolishing infrastructure and properties while forcibly displacing families from the camp.

Tulkarm Governor Abdullah Kamil condemned the Israeli escalation, saying that "on the 14th day of aggression against Tulkarm, Israeli forces, supported by military bulldozers, launched a new incursion into Nur Shams camp, besieging it from multiple directions."

Kamil called on the international community to intervene and halt what he described as an "unprecedented aggression" against Tulkarm and its refugee camps.

The Israeli army said in a press statement that "as part of efforts to counter terrorist activities in the West Bank, large forces from the IDF, Border Police, and Shin Bet launched an operation in the Nur Shams camp last night."

The Israeli forces had "targeted several militants and arrested others" during the raid, according to the army.

Tensions in the West Bank have been escalating since Oct. 7, 2023, amid ongoing violence. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire and shelling during this period.