Israeli military destroys more than 90% of Gaza Strip

KUALA LUMPUR: The Israeli military has destroyed more than 90% of the Gaza Strip and the occupation forces now control approximately 80% of the war-ravaged territory, according to a Palestinian government weekly situation report that provided the estimate.

The report, citing local sources and issued on Monday by the Palestinian Government Communication Centre at the prime minister’s office, said during the period from June 29 to July 6, the Israeli military had intensified its operations across Khan Younis, Rafah, and Gaza City. Eight Palestinians have been killed as a result, local medical sources said.

“Israeli occupation forces (IOF) also shelled residential areas and demolished homes, displacing additional Palestinian families,” the report said.

According to the report, the IOF conducted widespread military raids across the occupied West Bank during the past week, carrying out home invasions, abductions, movement restrictions, and road closures in several Palestinian cities and towns, including Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Bethlehem, Jenin, Qalqilya, Tulkarem, and occupied Jerusalem.

Israeli colonial settler militias also carried out a series of attacks against Palestinians and their property, the report said. These included setting fire to a cafeteria in the village of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, assaulting Palestinian shepherds east of Bethlehem, attempting to steal livestock, and blocking the main entrance to the village of Burqa.

The Palestinian ministry of agriculture also documented further disruptions to the daily lives and livelihoods of Palestinians. The ministry in its weekly briefing reported a significant escalation in Israeli actions targeting the agricultural sector across the occupied West Bank.

A total of 2,559 olive trees were uprooted, burnt, or damaged, primarily in the Salfit, Jenin, and Nablus governorates, the ministry said. At least 125 farmers were affected and the documented direct losses reached approximately US$11.78 million.