GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza announced on Saturday that it has been unable to respond to emergency calls from residents in northern Gaza’s Jabalia, as the region continues to endure a devastating 22-day-long offensive.

“We are unable to respond to numerous pleas for help from residential homes that have been targeted and burned by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia and Jabalia Nazla in northern Gaza,” the Civil Defense said in a statement.

“Civil Defense operations have been completely halted due to ongoing Israeli targeting and aggression in northern Gaza,” it added.

On Wednesday, the Civil Defense revealed that Israeli forces had disrupted its services, directly targeting its personnel and threatening them with direct attacks if they attempted to use their vehicles for rescue operations.

Israeli ground incursions and bombardments, meanwhile, continue across northern Gaza as the army pushes to evacuate the area through forced displacement.

Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since an attack last year by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 43,000 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 100,500 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the territory’s entire population amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi