Gaza hospitals report at least 36 Palestinians killed since dawn as Israeli forces pound Gaza City with airstrikes and artillery.

At least 36 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli occupation forces since dawn today, including 31 in Gaza City, Al-Jazeera reported, citing sources in Gaza hospitals.

Since the early hours of Saturday, the Israeli army has continued heavy bombardment across the city, leaving both dead and wounded among displaced people and civilians seeking aid.

Al-Jazeera confirmed renewed airstrikes on the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood at dawn. Israeli aircraft targeted homes and public facilities in Tel al-Hawa and al-Sabra with intense fire belts, while 10 booby-trapped vehicles were detonated in the vicinity of Tel al-Hawa.

Al-Shifa Hospital reported that two children were killed and others injured when Israeli forces struck a school sheltering displaced persons in central Gaza City. 

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Al-Awda Hospital said one person was killed and 10 others wounded in a separate airstrike targeting Palestinians east of the Nuseirat refugee camp.

In southern Gaza City, a Palestinian woman was killed and others were injured when an Israeli drone bombed the al-Sabra neighborhood, according to emergency services. Palestinian sources also reported that Israeli forces opened fire on civilians waiting for aid near the Netzarim axis, north of Nuseirat.

Meanwhile, artillery shelling targeted the northern al-Bureij camp, and Al Jazeera reported heavy bombardments and car bomb detonations in the northwestern areas of Gaza City.

The Israeli army also announced the closure of Salah al-Din Street, which had been temporarily opened for those fleeing the ongoing bombardment of Gaza City and the north. 

It said that, from now on, movement southward will only be permitted through Rashid Street, stressing that operations will continue with “extreme and unprecedented force.”

As the offensive intensifies, residents of Gaza City and northern areas are fleeing south under dire humanitarian conditions. Transportation remains scarce as thousands of vehicles have been destroyed during the war.

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On Tuesday, the Israeli army declared the launch of its operation to seize Gaza City, involving two military divisions, with a third expected to join. “We have entered another phase of Operation Gideon Chariots in the heart of Gaza City,” an army statement read, claiming the goal is to dismantle Hamas infrastructure “until it is defeated.”

On the humanitarian front, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported Friday that the number of Palestinians who have died from malnutrition, caused by Israel’s ongoing starvation policy since October 7, 2023, has risen to 440, including 147 children.

In the last 24 hours alone, four people died due to famine, the ministry said, bringing the total to 440 over nearly two years. Israel closed all crossings on March 2, blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza and plunging the territory into famine, despite hundreds of trucks stranded at the border.

Although Israel allowed very limited aid entry less than two months ago, the quantities have been insufficient to meet even basic needs. Most of the trucks, according to Gaza’s government, were seized by gangs it says are protected by Israel.

(PC, AJA)