Many Palestinians are still holding out in Gaza City, despite the massive damage, poor supplies, and the Israeli offensive. According to Palestinian sources, at least 32 people have been killed in attacks.
The Israeli army continues its military offensive in Gaza City unabated. Despite the massive damage, many Palestinians remain in the city. At least 32 people were killed in new Israeli airstrikes, according to staff at Al-Shifa Hospital. Twelve children were among the dead. These figures cannot be independently verified.
One of the airstrikes overnight hit a house in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, killing a family of ten, according to officials from the Ministry of Health, which is controlled by the militant Islamist terrorist organization Hamas. Smoke rose over the area after the attacks, as footage showed. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the attacks.
The Israeli military has expanded its operations in Gaza City in recent days. The army recently attacked several high-rise buildings, claiming that Hamas had installed cameras and other surveillance equipment on the buildings.
Israel wants to completely take over Gaza City
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had urged people in the city to flee. According to UN estimates, one million Palestinians were still there at the start of the offensive. According to Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee, a quarter of a million people have already left Gaza City. The UN, however, estimates that 100,000 people left the former city of one million between mid-August and mid-September.
Fleeing to the south of the coastal region is an enormous challenge for the people, who have few resources left due to the war. Many have already had to flee several times due to fighting or Israeli evacuation orders. The Israeli government considers Gaza City the last Hamas stronghold and wants to take over the city completely.
The attacks on Gaza City come days after Israel bombed the Hamas political leadership in Qatar.
Humanitarian zone overloaded according to UN
The UN and aid organizations recently warned that the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people would further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The"humanitarian zone" designated by Israel for those fleeing Gaza City is completely overcapacity.
Many people simply cannot afford to flee; they lack sufficient funds to reach the south and find new accommodation there, the UN emphasized. Currently, 86,000 tents and other aid supplies are located at the border with the Gaza Strip, but according to the UN, an import permit from Israel is still missing.
Apparently more deaths due to malnutrition
Food is also not reaching many people in the Gaza Strip. The Ministry of Health reported seven deaths from malnutrition in the past 24 hours.
This means that 420 people have died from hunger since the beginning of the war, including 145 children. These figures cannot currently be independently verified. The IPC has declared famine in parts of the Gaza Strip.
US Secretary of State Rubio travels to Israel
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to travel to Israel today. During his visit, he intends to"reaffirm the US commitment to Israel's security" and discuss "operational goals and objectives," the State Department in Washington stated. Rubio and President Donald Trump met yesterday with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.
Israel's actions have sparked sharp international criticism and large-scale protests in Israel. The discontent in Israel is also fueled by the concern of many people about the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip, several of whom are believed to be in Gaza City. Approximately 50 hostages remain in the coastal region, and only about 20 of them are still alive, according to the Israeli government's estimates.
