DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip. In the ongoing conflict, Israeli forces have severed the northern part of Gaza from the rest of the besieged territory and launched intense overnight airstrikes, setting the stage for an anticipated push into densely populated Gaza City. The Palestinian death toll has now exceeded 10,000, as reported by the Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza. This includes both fighters and civilians. On the Israeli side, approximately 1,400 people have lost their lives, primarily civilians, due to an incursion by a militant group on October 7 that triggered the war.
These figures mark a somber milestone, making this the deadliest round of Israeli-Palestinian violence in the 75-year history of Israel. With no immediate resolution in sight, Israel remains committed to removing the militant group from power and neutralizing its military capabilities.
As the conflict transitions to urban combat, casualties are expected to rise further. Troops are poised to enter Gaza City, and Palestinian militants, who have had years to prepare, are likely to engage in street-by-street battles and launch ambushes from an extensive network of tunnels.
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, mentioned, “We’re closing in on them. We’ve completed our encirclement, separating the militant group’s strongholds in the north from the south.”
The Israeli military reported striking 450 targets overnight and taking control of a militant group’s compound. A one-way corridor for residents to evacuate to the south remains accessible for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians remaining in Gaza City and other parts of the north.
Since the war’s outbreak, around 1.5 million Palestinians, approximately 70% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced. The region is grappling with shortages of essential supplies, and U.N.-run shelters are overwhelmed.
Mobile phone and internet services experienced an overnight outage, making it even more challenging for civilians to seek safety or request assistance.
Efforts for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid have faced resistance from Israel. Diplomacy efforts continue in the region, but no concrete achievements have been reported.
The conflict has also exacerbated tensions, leading to clashes between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group along their border. In another sign of growing unrest, a Palestinian man stabbed and wounded two members of Israel’s paramilitary Border Police in East Jerusalem before being shot dead.
In northern Gaza, a Jordanian military cargo plane air-dropped medical aid to a field hospital, raising the possibility of an additional avenue for aid delivery besides Egypt’s Rafah crossing. While aid has been allowed through the Rafah crossing, it has been deemed insufficient to meet the mounting needs of Gaza’s population.
Northern Gaza is grappling with a severe water shortage due to a lack of fuel to operate municipal wells and the cutoff of the region’s main water supply. Water facilities have been damaged, increasing the risk of sewage flooding.
Approximately 800,000 people have followed Israeli military orders to relocate to southern Gaza. But Israeli bombardments persist across the territory, resulting in casualties, even in supposed safe zones.
In a mass funeral, Palestinians mourned the loss of 66 people in the central town of Deir al-Balah. The Health Ministry reports that the death toll in Gaza now stands at 10,022 people, including over 4,100 children and 2,600 women.
Meanwhile, in south Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike led to the deaths of four civilians, including three children. Hezbollah retaliated by firing rockets into Israel. The Israeli military is reviewing the situation.
Over the course of the ground offensive, the Israeli military reported the loss of 30 troops. Palestinian militants continue to launch rockets into Israel, leading to evacuations in border areas.
