Israel Intensifies Gaza City Offensive: Dozens Killed as Humanitarian Crisis Worsens Amid Hostage Negotiations

Gaza City is experiencing a severe escalation in Israeli airstrikes, with medical officials reporting at least 32 fatalities, including 12 children, following a barrage of overnight and early morning attacks. The renewed offensive comes as Israel intensifies its campaign to seize what it describes as Hamas’s final stronghold, urging remaining Palestinians to evacuate immediately.

Among the casualties confirmed by Shifa Hospital’s morgue was a family of 10 in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, and a Palestinian football player, Mohammed Ramez Sultan, along with 14 family members. Israel’s military stated it targeted a high-rise used by Hamas, continuing its recent strategy of destroying buildings accused of housing militant surveillance equipment.

The intensifying hostilities are exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis. Hundreds of thousands remain in Gaza City, struggling with famine and displacement. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported seven additional deaths from malnutrition-related causes in the last 24 hours, pushing the total to 420, including 145 children, since the conflict began.

Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas staged a protest on Saturday, criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy. They expressed deep concern that recent Israeli actions, including an attempted assassination of Hamas leaders in Qatar this week, are jeopardizing negotiations for their loved ones’ release. With 48 hostages still believed to be in Gaza, families are pleading for a halt to the offensive, fearing for the lives of the estimated 20 still alive.

Aid workers note a recent spike in evacuations from Gaza City, though many families remain trapped due to lack of funds for transportation and housing, or a reluctance to move again given repeated displacements. The UN and aid groups warn that further mass displacement will worsen the humanitarian catastrophe, with southern Gaza already severely overcrowded and essential supplies like temporary shelters awaiting clearance.

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