Palestinians mourn children from their families who were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip. AP
The recent bombardment has devastated civilian areas, including the deaths of a grandfather and his two grandchildren, who were killed while attempting to evacuate Khan Younis, Al Jazeera reported.
Several others were injured when Israeli forces targeted tents housing displaced families in Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis on Saturday morning, according to Al Jazeera reporters on the ground.
Israeli military vehicles have advanced to the southeast of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, shielded by heavy covering fire, Al Jazeera reported, citing local Palestinian media.
Israeli artillery has also targeted the Abu Holi, Abu al-Ajin, and al-Jafarawi areas east of Deir el-Balah, with a series of large explosions reported in the al-Qarara area of Khan Younis in the south, which had been struck by airstrikes earlier that morning.
The sharp escalation is part of “the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip, with the goal of achieving all the war’s objectives,” the Israeli army said in a statement on Telegram, in Arabic.
It also comes amid a deepening humanitarian crisis, with Israel’s blockade of Gaza entering its third month, preventing vital aid from reaching the strip and exacerbating shortages of food, medicine, and basic supplies.
Israeli attacks have targeted all of Gaza, with particular focus on the north, and hospitals have also been repeatedly struck.
A spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital told Al Jazeera that Gaza’s hospitals are unable to cope with the number of critically wounded.
He said operating rooms were at capacity and warned Israeli forces were deliberately targeting hospitals throughout the Palestinian territory.
Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety, despite the relentless airstrikes. Meanwhile, growing international calls for a ceasefire and lifting the blockade have been met with silence.
As Israeli attacks escalate, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that at least 370 Palestinians have been killed since Sunday, with the majority of casualties occurring in the latter part of the week.
The toll has been particularly deadly in recent days, with medical sources confirming the deaths of 143 people on Thursday and 100 on Friday, most of them women and children.
Gaza’s Health Ministry now reports that 2,985 Palestinians have been killed since Israel resumed its strikes on 18 March, unilaterally ending a two-month ceasefire.
This brings the total death toll to 53,119. However, the Gaza Government Media Office’s updated toll now stands at more than 61,700, as it includes thousands still trapped under rubble and presumed dead.
Short link: