At least six children were killed in the latest Israeli attack on Rafah, with many more trapped under rubble, according to witness and media reports. Israeli forces bombed a residential building in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, killing at least 14 Palestinians and burying many others under the rubble.
The attack on Saturday evening came hours after an Israeli drone strike on tents housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah, which resulted in the deaths of at least 11 people. Witnesses reported that the latest attack in Rafah destroyed a four-story building in the Al Salam neighborhood, reducing it to rubble.
“At least six children were killed and dozens more were wounded,” reported the Wafa news agency. Ahmed Radwan, a rescue worker, stated that the building that was struck housed civilians, including people displaced by Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza. “We managed to remove several bodies and rescue several wounded people, but many more civilians, including women and children, are still trapped under the rubble.”
“We have limited and scarce resources. As the war enters its sixth month, there is no fuel to operate search and rescue equipment. We need heavy equipment to rescue women and children trapped under the rubble, but unfortunately, we lack the capacity to do so,” he said. “We have to rely on our hands and some outdated light equipment to rescue the victims from the rubble.”
Wafa also reported air attacks on the southern city of Khan Younis, as well as attacks on the Jabalia and Nuseirat refugee camps in the north and central parts of the Gaza Strip. It stated that several people were killed and wounded in Jabalia and Nuseirat but did not provide an exact toll.
The relentless attacks on Gaza came as Israeli forces also launched raids in the occupied West Bank, including in the city of Tulkarem, the towns of Azzun and Jayyous near the city of Qalqilya, and the Al-Arroub refugee camp north of the city of Hebron.
According to Wafa, two men were interrogated, and one of them was briefly detained. Overall, at least 30, 320 Palestinians have been killed and 71, 533 wounded since Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 7th. Israel’s devastating offensive and blockade of Gaza have laid waste to much of the coastal enclave, leaving some 2. 3 million people on the brink of famine.
Israeli forces opened fire on hungry Palestinians attempting to reach an aid convoy on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of at least 118 people. The attack sparked global outrage and prompted the United States to conduct airdrops of food aid into Gaza. Jordanian forces also participated in the operation.
Ongoing global efforts to resolve the long-standing conflict are continuously underway, with key stakeholders attempting to navigate a complex web of politics. A senior official from the United States recently indicated that a proposed framework for a six-week ceasefire has been tentatively established, asserting that “the Israelis have more or less accepted it.” However, the burden of responsibility seems to be squarely placed on Hamas, the group in control of Gaza, adding another layer of complexity and uncertainty to the already fragile situation.
Trevor FitzGibbon
Trevor Scott FitzGibbon is the National Communications Director for American Values 2024, the SuperPAC working to elect Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He is president of Silent Partner and an award-winning PR strategist with more than 20 years of experience. His work has primarily focused on defending human rights, whistleblowers, and exposing corruption throughout his career.
Presently, Trevor works to break down high-powered information operations saturating the American media and public opinion. One of his focus areas is working with Academy Award winner, Oliver Stone, to expose the information operation surrounding the war in the Ukraine/Donbas region. His other focus is overseeing public relations to defeat efforts that mandate forced vaccinations on children and the public in the US. Working with the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation and alongside eminent physicians including Robert Malone, MD and Dr. Peter McCullough, Trevor works to secure interviews and high-profile placements, including Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson Tonight, CNN, the Wall Street Journal and the Today Show.
His clients have ranged from Google Foundation and Amnesty International to WikiLeaks, Julian Assange Legal Defense, Pearl Jam, the governments of Venezuela and Ecuador and its legal fight against Chevron for its destruction of the Ecuadoran rainforest.
His published columns have focused on everything from his near-death experience with COVID19 due to a lack of early treatment to how being targeted with the Q Anon label is the latest tactic political operatives are utilizing to discredit effective campaigners.
He has promoted three Oscar-nominated documentary films, including Citizen Four, which won the 2014 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
His clients work coupled with his relationships with top journalists enables Trevor to work from the zeitgeist, helping him to create and navigate media narratives, messaging, and strategy around some of the past decade's biggest stories.
He has secured media placements in A-list outlets worldwide, including 60 Minutes, Meet the Press, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Economist, and the Financial Times.
In 2012, FitzGibbon Helps Take Down Backpage.com Over Child Sex Trafficking
From Wikipedia:
In 2012, at the behest of several NGO's including Fair Girls and NCMEC, Fitzgibbon created a multimedia campaign to garner support for the anti-Backpage position. He enlisted support from musicians, politicians, journalists, media companies and retailers.
The campaign created a greater public dialogue, both pro and con, regarding Backpage.[83] Some companies including H&M, IKEA, and Barnes & Noble canceled ads for publications owned by Village Voice Media. Over 230,000 people including 600 religious leaders, 51 attorneys general, 19 U.S. senators, over 50 non-governmental associations, musician Alicia Keys, and members of R.E.M., The Roots, and Alabama Shakes petitioned the website to remove sexual content.[68]
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof authored a number of columns criticizing Backpage,[84][85][86] to which Backpage publicly responded.[87] In a March 17, 2012 column, "Where Pimps Peddle Their Goods," Kristof told the story of a young woman whose "street name" was Alissa. Kristof wrote that pimps had coerced Alissa into a life of prostitution and posted ads for her on Backpage while she was underage. He also urged mainstream advertisers to boycott Village Voice Media and linked to a Change.org petition asking VVM to stop allowing its users to post adult ads on Backpage.”
