Fire rains down from the sky as Israel launches missile attack on Gaza as Middle East conflict shows no sign of ending
Fire rains from the sky during Israel’s latest rocket attack on Gaza, as the Middle East conflict shows no signs of ending.
Photos taken today show smoke and flames engulfing buildings in the Al Bureij camp in Deir al-Balah – a city in the central Gaza Strip.
Massive explosions destroyed the camp’s infrastructure, as Palestinians watched in horror as the destruction unfolded.
Some were seen taking cover after an Israeli missile hit a residential building in the camp, as thick black smoke and dust covered the area after the attack.
It comes after the Israeli army confirmed the deaths of four more hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attack on a music festival.
Nadav Popplewell, 51, Yoram Metzger, 80, Amiram Cooper, 84, and Chaim Peri, 79, all died several months ago while being held by Hamas in the Khan Younis area. The times of Israel reported today.
It is understood that Israeli representatives have informed their families that they are no longer alive and that their bodies are currently being held by Hamas.
Military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a separate video address: “We note that all four were killed while together in the Khan Yunis area during our operation there against Hamas.”
Smoke and flames rise over a destroyed building after the Israeli attacks on the Al Bureij camp in Deir al-Balah
Explosions destroy buildings in Al Bureij camp in Deir al-Balah
Fire rains from the sky during Israel’s latest rocket attack on Gaza
Palestinians watch in horror as an Israeli airstrike destroys a building in the Al Bureije refugee camp
Flames fill the air at Al Bureij camp in Deir al-Balah on June 3
Two Palestinian women walk past the ruins of a building in Al Bureij
An Israeli missile is captured just before it hits the Bureij camp in Deir al Balah
Hamas claimed in May that Popplewell was killed as a result of an airstrike, but has not yet provided evidence, PBC reported.
Months earlier, the terrorist organization Al-Qassam Brigades claimed that Peri, Cooper and Metzger were among seven hostages killed in an Israeli airstrike, NBC reported.
Amiram Cooper has a son named Rotem who lives in San Diego, and as the attacks in Israel were unfolding, Rotem discovered that his father and mother Nurit, 79, had been kidnapped by Hamas.
Amiram and Nurit had called Nir Oz — a kibbutz about a mile outside Gaza — their home for 70 years, ABC San Diego reported last October.
Rotem added that his parents told him they had locked themselves in a bomb shelter at their home.
Amiram Cooper, left, and Chaim Peri, right, were part of the same kibbutz just a mile outside Gaza
Yoram Metzger, 80, and Nadav Popplewell, 51, were among hundreds of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas on October 7
Amiram Cooper (second from right) and Nurit Cooper (red shirt) are pictured with their family
“They told me they basically locked themselves in that room, but there’s no way to lock the door,” he said.
Not long after, he couldn’t reach his parents, so he flew as quickly as possible to Israel, arriving three days later.
Rotem found bullet holes in the door leading to his parents’ shelter, but no bloodstains, giving him hope that they were still alive.
Amiram and Nurit were held in the same underground room along with five other residents of the kibbutz, Rotem told The Times of Israel.
Nurit was released on October 23 and is still recovering at home with her family.
Metzger, Cooper and Peri, all nearly 80 years old or older, were featured in a Hamas propaganda video in December, pleading with Israel: “Don’t let us grow old here.”
Peri, a resident of Nir Oz along with Cooper and his wife Nurit, explained in the video that he was held together with other elderly hostages with chronic illnesses, and that they all lived in very harsh conditions.
Flames destroy a building in Al Bureij camp in Deir al-Balah
Smoke and flames rise during an Israeli airstrike in the center of the Gaza Strip
Smoke rises during an Israeli airstrike in the center of the Gaza Strip
Smoke rises from the Al-Magahazi building being bombed during the Israeli attacks on the Al Bureij camp
Dust and black smoke rise shortly after an Israeli airstrike targeted a residential building in the city of Bureij
Palestinians watch in horror as an Israeli airstrike hits a residential building
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected President Biden’s proposal for a permanent ceasefire, labeling it a ‘non-starter’.
Mr Netanyahu wrote on .’
“Under the proposal, Israel will continue to insist that these conditions are met before a permanent ceasefire is imposed.
The idea that Israel will agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are met is a non-starter.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected President Biden’s proposal for a permanent ceasefire, labeling it a ‘non-starter’.
Palestinians flee shortly after an Israeli airstrike targeted a residential building
Dust and debris fall from the residential building that was the target of an Israeli airstrike
It is believed that the Israeli Prime Minister’s June 1 statement may have been made to appease hardliners such as Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir within his government, who have threatened to topple the government if Hamas is not completely destroyed.
Experts say the Israeli leader has not said an outright ‘no’ to the deal, but wants to make it on his terms.
Mr Biden said: “I know there are people in Israel who will disagree with this plan and will call for the war to continue indefinitely. Some are even in the governing coalition.’
The new three-phase deal that Biden supports would include a six-week ceasefire while the two sides negotiate a permanent end to the fighting.