Israel has expanded its ground and aerial assault on Gaza City, killing at least 57 Palestinians on Sunday, including 38 people seeking food. The operation, focused on the Zeitoun, Sabra, Remal and Tuffah neighbourhoods, follows Israel’s announcement that it intends to fully occupy Gaza City and move its residents to the south.
The bombardment has intensified what the United Nations has described as a “man-made famine,” with at least 258 Palestinians, including 110 children, now confirmed to have died from starvation since October 2023. The UN’s aid agency, UNRWA, said Gaza was “on the brink of losing our collective humanity.”
In Zeitoun alone, thousands fled under heavy shelling and drone fire. Aid groups said people evacuated while hungry and barefoot, carrying no belongings. Gaza’s Ministry of Health said more than 61,900 people have been killed since the start of the war.
Hospitals in Gaza are barely functional. Only four facilities remain in Gaza City, and they are operating at below 20 percent capacity due to shortages of fuel and supplies. At least seven people were killed in an Israeli drone strike on the courtyard of al-Ahli Arab Hospital, which Israel claimed was being used by Hamas fighters.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, Israel is restricting the entry of basic goods, including infant formula, meat, dairy, and vegetables. Around 500,000 people in Gaza are currently at risk of famine, the World Food Programme said. Food deliveries are reaching only 47 percent of the required daily target.
Israeli officials stated that international aid groups will be allowed to bring tents and shelters to the southern part of the Gaza Strip, where displaced Palestinians are being directed. Hamas condemned the move as a cover for ethnic cleansing. “It is a new wave of genocide and displacement,” the group said in a statement.
The Israeli offensive is linked to plans to force the population of Gaza City southwards and establish control over the area. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, said the operation would remove civilians from “combat zones” and move them to “safe areas.” These areas have also been bombed repeatedly.
Zeitoun, which housed about 50,000 people, has been reduced to ruins after six days of bombardment. Residents who remained described non-stop explosions. Ghassan Kashko, a 40-year-old father of five, told AFP, “We don’t know the taste of sleep.”
Aid seekers are being killed in growing numbers. On Saturday, 13 Palestinians were shot near food distribution points. The UN reports that at least 1,760 Palestinians have been killed since May while attempting to collect aid. Gaza’s Health Ministry said 1,938 have died in similar incidents since Israel introduced a new distribution mechanism known as the GHF.
Amid the Gaza offensive, mass protests took place across Israel. In Tel Aviv, an estimated 500,000 people joined demonstrations in “Hostages Square,” calling for a deal to release the captives held by Hamas. More than one million took part in actions nationwide, including roadblocks and a national strike. Businesses, universities and public transport were disrupted.
Einav Zangauker, mother of one hostage, said, “The Israeli government has transformed a just war into a pointless war. We demand a comprehensive and achievable agreement and an end to the war.”
Police clashed with protesters outside Netanyahu’s Likud party headquarters in Tel Aviv. At least 38 people were arrested. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the demonstrations a “harmful campaign that plays into the hands of Hamas.”
Despite the crackdown, opposition leaders backed the protests. Yair Lapid, the head of the Israeli opposition, said demonstrators were “fighting until the kidnapped return home.”
The Israeli government said the protests endanger security and embolden Hamas. Netanyahu told his cabinet that they “harden Hamas’s stance” and would “draw out the release of our hostages.”
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli soldiers conducted multiple raids, detaining several Palestinians. Attacks by settlers were also reported near Ramallah. In Gaza, the Israeli military claims to have struck militants near hospitals, including the al-Ahli site, where it alleged fighters were using the area to shelter and store weapons.
The Houthis in Yemen confirmed they launched a hypersonic missile at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, which Israel intercepted. Defence Minister Israel Katz said the group would “pay with compound interest” for the attack. Israel responded with airstrikes on a power plant in Sanaa.
A growing number of international voices have condemned the Israeli offensive. The UN Security Council has criticised the plan to forcibly evacuate over a million people from Gaza City. Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told Palestinian Authority officials that Cairo opposes all attempts at mass displacement.
In Europe, the death of 20-year-old Marah Abu Zuhri in an Italian hospital has drawn attention to the hunger crisis. She arrived emaciated and died of cardiac arrest 48 hours later. She had been evacuated from Gaza under a medical treatment scheme.
A group of British MPs has called for the UK to provide urgent visas to Gaza’s sick and wounded children. “More than 50,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured,” the UNRWA said, adding: “It’s time to stop this war on children.”
In Gaza, residents continue to rely on charity kitchens. “We come here at 8am and suffer to get lentils or rice. We suffer a lot,” said Tayseer Naim, displaced from Jabalia camp. Another resident, Zeinab Nabahan, said, “My children haven’t had bread or any breakfast. They’ve been waiting for me to leave with whatever I can get.”
Israel maintains that Hamas is using civilians as human shields and continues to justify its actions as part of a military campaign. The Israeli army has said it needs 12,000 more soldiers to sustain its operations. Offers of amnesty for draft dodgers have been issued.
According to the UN, 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents are now displaced. Infrastructure in Gaza City is described as “beyond recovery.” The UN has repeated its calls for an immediate ceasefire and a return to UN-led humanitarian operations.
More than 61,944 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to Gaza’s health authorities, with 155,886 wounded. The true number of victims is higher, with many bodies missing under rubble or unaccounted for. Aid agencies warn the death toll from starvation could grow significantly if the blockade continues.
HT
