RAFAH, Gaza Strip. Israeli military strikes have claimed multiple civilian lives on Saturday in the main combat zone of the Gaza Strip, with attacks targeting a U.N. shelter and a hospital, escalating the assault on the besieged enclave’s Hamas rulers. This intensification of the conflict has led to a growing international outcry over the rising death toll and deepening humanitarian crisis.
The Israeli military announced that it had encircled Gaza City, the primary target of its offensive to dismantle Hamas. However, they provided a three-hour window on Saturday for residents trapped by the fighting to flee south.
The latest attacks coincided with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the region, where he aimed to find ways to alleviate the suffering of civilians caught in the crossfire. Blinken held discussions with Arab foreign ministers in Jordan, following talks in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu reiterated that there could be no temporary cease-fire until all hostages held by Hamas are released.
Egyptian officials, along with Qatar, have proposed humanitarian pauses lasting six to 12 hours daily to allow aid in and evacuate casualties. They also suggested that Israel release some women and elderly prisoners in exchange for hostages held by Hamas. These suggestions, however, appear unlikely to be accepted by Israel. The officials spoke anonymously due to a lack of authorization to brief the press on the discussions.
The Israeli military has repeatedly called for the 1.1 million residents of northern Gaza to move south as they escalate their bombardment in the north and tighten the noose around Gaza City. Nonetheless, some individuals traveling south have been killed during their journey in recent days, and Israel continues to conduct airstrikes in the southern part of the territory, justifying them as targeting Hamas objectives.
With significant portions of residential neighborhoods destroyed by airstrikes, most of the approximately 300,000 remaining residents in northern Gaza have sought shelter in U.N.-run schools and hospitals, hoping for safety. Tragically, Israeli strikes have repeatedly hit and damaged these shelters.
On Saturday, two strikes hit a U.N. school-turned-shelter just north of Gaza City, resulting in several casualties in tents in the schoolyard and among women inside the building. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees initially reported 20 casualties, but this figure remains unverified.
The Health Ministry in Gaza, under Hamas control, reported that 15 individuals were killed at the school where thousands had sought shelter, with an additional 70 wounded.
Two individuals were also killed in a strike near the gate of Nasser Hospital in Gaza City, according to Medhat Abbas, a Health Ministry spokesperson.
Around 1.5 million people in Gaza, approximately 70% of the population, have been displaced from their homes, further exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urgently called for an immediate cease-fire to facilitate the delivery of aid into Gaza. He described the humanitarian situation as “horrific,” emphasizing the trauma experienced by the entire population in Gaza and the lack of safe havens.
Guterres acknowledged the previous civilian casualties resulting from Hamas’ attack on Israel but emphasized the importance of protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure. He also called on Hamas to release all the hostages it holds, numbering approximately 240.
The family home of Hamas’ exiled leader, Ismail Haniyeh, located in the Shati refugee camp on the northern edge of Gaza City, was struck by an airstrike on Saturday morning. The extent of damage and casualties remains unknown.
Overnight airstrikes also targeted the western outskirts of Gaza City and the vicinity of Al-Quds Hospital. Another strike hit a building near the entrance of the hospital’s emergency ward on Saturday afternoon, injuring at least 21 people, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Despite Israel’s call for civilians to flee south, strikes have persisted in the southern areas as well. Civilians continue to endure the relentless sound of explosions.
In the southern town of Khan Younis, a family home was destroyed by an airstrike early Saturday, resulting in casualties, including a child.
The Israeli military confirmed that ground forces are now operating in the south, with an armored and engineering corps working to remove booby traps from buildings. During this operation, Israeli troops killed fighters seen exiting a tunnel. The military also reported numerous attacks launched from tunnels on Israeli forces in northern Gaza.
On the northern border of Israel, skirmishes continued on Saturday, with the Israeli military reporting strikes on militant cells in Lebanon attempting to target Israel, as well as an observation post associated with Hezbollah.
Throughout the conflict, Israel and Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, have engaged in almost daily exchanges of fire along the Lebanese border, raising concerns of a potential new front opening there.
