DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip. Thousands of individuals forcefully entered aid warehouses in Gaza to access essential supplies, according to a statement from a U.N. agency released on Sunday. This act reflects the growing desperation and the deterioration of public order in the region, occurring three weeks into the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza’s militant Hamas leadership.
Over the weekend, Israeli tanks and infantry units launched a ground offensive into Gaza as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the commencement of a “second stage” in the conflict, marking a significant escalation three weeks after Hamas initiated hostilities by breaching Israel’s borders. This ground offensive coincided with ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Gaza from air, land, and sea.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that the Palestinian death toll has now surpassed 8,000, with a majority of the casualties being women and minors. This staggering death toll, unprecedented in decades of Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, is expected to rise further as Israel intensifies its ground operation.
The bombardment over the weekend, described by Gaza residents as the most intense phase of the conflict, disrupted communications across the territory, temporarily isolating its 2.3 million residents from the outside world. Communication services have been partially restored as of early Sunday.
The Israeli military has claimed to have targeted more than 450 militant facilities in the past 24 hours, including Hamas command centers, observation posts, and anti-tank missile launch sites. Additional ground forces were deployed into Gaza overnight.
Thomas White, a representative from the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), expressed concern over the warehouse break-ins, stating that it reflects the breakdown of civil order after three weeks of conflict and the tight blockade on Gaza. UNRWA provides vital services to a large population in Gaza, with its schools now serving as overcrowded shelters for Palestinians displaced by the ongoing violence.
Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for UNRWA, confirmed that crowds broke into four facilities on Saturday but clarified that these warehouses did not contain fuel, which has been in critically short supply since the start of the war. Meanwhile, residents living near Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility, reported Israeli airstrikes near the complex and disruptions to the roads leading to it.
Israel has alleged that Hamas has established a secret command post beneath Shifa Hospital, although these claims lack substantial evidence and have not been independently verified. Hamas has denied the allegations.
The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service reported that another Gaza City hospital received evacuation orders from Israeli authorities on Sunday, with airstrikes hitting dangerously close to the Al-Quds Hospital, which is currently sheltering 12,000 people.
Israel has faced growing domestic pressure to secure the release of approximately 230 hostages taken during Hamas’ incursion into Israeli territory on October 7. Desperate family members met with Prime Minister Netanyahu on Saturday, expressing support for a prisoner exchange to secure their release.
Hamas’ top leader in Gaza, Yehia Sinwar, offered to release all hostages immediately if Israel releases all the thousands of Palestinians held in its prisons. However, Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari dismissed this offer as “psychological terror.” Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to recovering the hostages through the expanding ground operation.
Netanyahu also acknowledged the need for a thorough investigation into the events of October 7, in which over 1,400 people were killed, including civilians and soldiers. He emphasized that all parties involved, including himself, would have to answer questions regarding these events.
The Israeli military is gradually expanding its ground operations within Gaza, although it has not classified it as a full-scale invasion. Casualties on both sides are expected to rise as Israeli forces engage with Palestinian militants in densely populated residential areas.
Despite the Israeli offensive, Palestinian militants continue to launch rocket attacks into Israel, leading to the sounding of sirens in southern Israel as a reminder of the ongoing threat.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported a death toll of just over 8,000 Palestinians since the war’s onset, including numerous women and children. An estimated 1,700 individuals remain trapped beneath rubble in Gaza, with hospitals struggling to operate critical equipment amid power shortages. Gaza’s sole power plant remains non-operational due to the lack of fuel, and essential services are being maintained with difficulty by the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
