Israeli forces intensified their offensive on Gaza City and the north, killing scores and driving mass displacement, while famine deaths continue to rise toward 300.
Scores of Palestinian families continue to flee Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip toward central and southern areas, as Israeli attacks intensify under what the occupation army calls “Operation Gideon’s Wagons 2.”
Medical sources confirmed that dozens of Palestinians were killed and injured in new massacres, while the death toll from famine also continues to rise.
For nearly two weeks, Israeli forces have carried out relentless bombardments and demolition operations in the Shuja’iyya, Zeitoun, and Sabra neighborhoods east and south of Gaza City, as well as in the Jabalia refugee camp in the north.
The Israeli army announced on Sunday that its 401st Brigade had re-entered Jabalia in recent days, claiming to be targeting Hamas infrastructure “above and below ground.”
Earlier, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted a security source saying the occupation of Gaza City would only begin after the city’s encirclement, a process expected to take around two months.
LIVE BLOG: Israel to Lay Siege on Gaza City as Scores Killed by Massacres, Famine – Day 688
New Massacres
Hospital sources reported that 11 Palestinians were killed since dawn on Sunday, including six aid recipients. Al-Awda Hospital said it received three bodies and eight wounded after Israeli forces struck an aid distribution point in the central Gaza Strip.
A source at the Baptist Hospital confirmed the death of a woman in an Israeli strike on the Zeitoun neighborhood. Emergency services also reported one death and several injuries near an aid distribution point north of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent added that Khan Yunis was bombed on Sunday morning by Israeli aircraft and helicopters.
On Saturday, medical officials reported 58 Palestinians killed in massacres across the Strip, among them 16 people waiting for humanitarian aid.
Plans to Invade Gaza City
Despite Hamas’s acceptance of a ceasefire proposal submitted by mediators, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu —wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges— approved a plan last Thursday to occupy Gaza City, mobilizing tens of thousands of soldiers.
Human rights organizations and several governments condemned Israel’s escalation, warning of mass displacement and another wave of bloodshed.
The Gaza Government Information Office condemned Israel’s declared plans to invade Gaza City, home to more than 1.3 million Palestinians, including over 500,000 children. It warned:
“Any invasion of Gaza City would constitute a major war crime, especially given the occupation’s systematic destruction of the health system in Gaza and the northern governorates.”
Journalist Khaled Al-Madhoun Killed while Covering Events in Northern Gaza
Famine Deaths Mount
Dr. Munir al-Bursh, Director of Gaza’s Ministry of Health, told Al Jazeera on Sunday that famine claimed eight more lives in the past 24 hours, including one child.
This brings the death toll from starvation since October 2023 to 289, including 115 children.
Since October 2023, Israel —backed by the United States— has waged a war of extermination in Gaza, marked by massacres, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement. It continues to defy international appeals and binding orders of the International Court of Justice. The genocide has so far killed more than 62,000 Palestinians and injured at least 157,000.
