The military has announced that Israeli forces have initiated a ground offensive in Gaza City, as rescuers reported at least 30 fatalities across the Palestinian territory since dawn.
Following the end of a brief truce last month, which was part of ongoing military operations against Hamas, Israel has intensified its efforts to capture territory in Gaza. This strategy aims to compel militants to release hostages still in detention.
Additionally, Israel has heightened its attacks in Syria and Lebanon, coinciding with the visit of a US envoy on Friday, just hours after a pre-dawn strike in the port city of Sidon led to the death of a Hamas commander.
In Gaza City, the Israeli army stated that ground troops were deployed in the Shujaiya area “to expand the security zone” established by the military within the Palestinian territory.
AFPTV footage showed that others have fled the area following an Israeli evacuation order issued on Thursday.
As Israeli assaults persist, Gaza refugees are relocating in search of safety.
A single airstrike in Khan Yunis reportedly resulted in at least 25 deaths, according to a medical source from the Nasser Hospital in the southern city.
After an Israeli strike hit a school in the al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, a man hurriedly transported an injured Palestinian child to the hospital.
“The bombing of my grandfather’s house occurred… without any warning,” recounted Ahmed al-Aqqad, whose family owned the property.
He indicated that more bodies may be trapped “under the rubble, but we cannot retrieve them due to a lack of necessary equipment.”
“We implore the entire world to unite in halting the bloodshed,” urged family member Diaa al-Aqqad.
Latest updates from the Middle East
‘We couldn’t locate our children’
On Wednesday, Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that the military would increase its presence within Gaza to confront militants and “eradicate… terrorist infrastructure,” with unspecified “large areas” to be “integrated into Israeli security zones.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted that the army was partitioning Gaza and “seizing territory” to compel Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages captured during the October 2023 attack that initiated the conflict.
Out of 251 people abducted during the Hamas assault on Israel, 58 remain hostages in Gaza, including 34 the military claims are deceased.
A view of the devastation following the Israeli strike on Dar al-Arqam School
On Thursday, the Israeli military reported that it had targeted over 600 “terror sites” across Gaza in its renewed offensive since 18 March.
According to the civil defense agency, an Israeli strike on Thursday targeted a school serving as a shelter for displaced Palestinians in the Gaza City vicinity, resulting in at least 31 fatalities, including children.
“They bombed us with missiles, and everything went dark… We couldn’t find our children,” wept Raghda al-Sharafa, a displaced civilian seeking refuge at the Dar al-Arqam School complex in northeast Gaza City.
The Israeli military announced that it had struck a “Hamas command and control center in the vicinity of Gaza City,” although it did not provide specifics on its location.
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The Jordanian foreign ministry condemned the bombings, accusing Israel of “systematically targeting civilians and displacement centers, in clear violation of international law.”
Today, Doctors Without Borders reported that its staff member Hussam Al Loulou, 58, was killed along with family members in an airstrike earlier this week in central Gaza, one of many aid workers who have died in the ongoing conflict.
“We strongly condemn his killing and reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire and protection of civilians,” stated the medical charity.
Lebanon strike
The health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza reported that 1,249 individuals have died since Israel resumed intense bombings last month, bringing the total death toll since the start of the war to 50,609.
The attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 that ignited the conflict resulted in 1,218 deaths, primarily civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli statistics.
In Lebanon, Hamas’s military wing announced that its commander Hassan Farhat was killed in an Israeli strike that targeted “his apartment” in Sidon.
The group also reported that his son Hamza, a member of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, and his daughter Jenan were killed as well.
The Israeli military confirmed the elimination of Hassan Farhat, alleging he was responsible for coordinating attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians, including deadly rocket fire on Safed last year.
Lebanon condemned the action as a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty.
The US deputy special envoy for the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus, who played a role in overseeing a November truce between Israel and the Lebanese Hamas ally Hezbollah, arrived in Beirut on Friday for discussions with high-ranking officials, as reported by Lebanon’s official National News Agency.
Ms. Ortagus has faced backlash from Hezbollah after stating in February that the Iran-backed group’s “reign of terror” had ended. She has also advocated for “a political resolution” to address Israel-Lebanon border disputes.
