Both Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday claimed attacking each other's military targets in the past 24 hours.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Wednesday that the Russian armed forces had occupied more advantageous positions in multiple directions, repelling several military attacks from Ukraine and hitting Ukrainian targets including armored vehicles, artillery systems, and electronic warfare stations.
Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported on the same day that the Ukrainian forces had engaged in nearly 100 battles with Russian forces in directions such as Avdiivka, striking Russian target sites including command posts and drone ground control points.
Officials in Odessa, Ukraine, said on Wednesday night that the Russian armed forces launched attacks on the city with ballistic missiles, resulting in at least 13 injuries and causing a big fire at a targeted site. Russia has not responded to the claim yet.
According to Reuters, Russian officials said on Tuesday that Ukraine had attacked Crimea with U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), but six of them had been shot down by Russia. The head of the Crimea Sergei Aksyonov confirmed that ATACMS were shot down over the Crimean Peninsula. On the same day, TASS reported that unexploded ordnances were found in Crimea after the missiles were shot down.
On Wednesday, Russian news agency Sputnik reported that John Kirby, the coordinator for strategic communications at the U.S. National Security Council, denied Russia's claim of shooting down ATACMS. However, he did not provide any evidence to support his statement.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian media reported that Ukrainian forces had launched a large-scale attack on Crimea early that morning with ATACMS. According to German media reports, the Ukrainian strikes targeted Russian military bases in Crimea.
The U.S. State Department confirmed in a press briefing last Wednesday that the U.S. had shipped long-range tactical missiles to Ukraine, which arrived in April.
Russia, Ukraine claim attacking each other's military targets
The Israeli military has continued its military operation in the southern Gaza Strip, forcing a large number of Gaza residents to flee to Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis. The so-called humanitarian zone, as decreed by Israel, is in fact a sandy wasteland with almost no facilities to provide basic humanitarian needs.
Al-Mawasi stretches approximately 12 kilometers long and one kilometer wide, occupying just 4 percent of the entire Gaza Strip. Once a coastal desert with about 9,000 residents, it now shelters hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
Makeshift tents constructed from wooden boards and plastic sheets divide the once sandy ground into narrow pathways, surrounded by heaps of trash and clothes worn by refugees, who walk barefoot on the sandy terrain.
Raed Abu Taima, a man in his 40s from central Gaza, has experienced the hardships of displacement. Over the past six months, he and his family have repeatedly fled due to Israeli military actions.
"We left our home with nothing and sought refuge in a school. We lived there for four months until the Israeli army surrounded us and forced us to leave. We didn't even have blankets. We walked through the Israeli checkpoints to reach Rafah. We have no tents or blankets, we have nothing," he said.
However, before reaching Rafah, Raed encountered another Israeli military blockade and was apprehended for 52 days. It was only after the Israeli army determined that he had no affiliation with armed organizations that he was released in Khan Yunis. Thereafter, Raed embarked on a search to find his family in Al-Mawasi.
Although he was eventually reunited with his family, Raed found that Al-Mawasi lacks any public services. Food is sporadically distributed by UN agencies and consists of limited supplies of flour and vegetables, while water needs to be fetched from distant wells. Every day, Raed scours for firewood and scraps of paper to cook meals.
"We don't have gas for cooking, and there is no food available in the market. Food and basic supplies are only distributed to us through relief organizations. Our lives seem to have turned into a desert. Poor sanitation conditions have led to the spread of diseases among children. One of my children has diarrhea and another has contracted chickenpox," he said.
Displaced Gaza residents suffer unbearable anguish in "humanitarian zone"
Displaced Gaza residents suffer unbearable anguish in "humanitarian zone"
