Israeli Airstrikes Kill Over 80 People at UN Shelters in Gaza
Israeli airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of more than 80 people at UN shelters in north Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp. The strikes killed at least 50 people at a UN-run school and 32 members of a single family in another building. In addition, an attack outside the southern town of Khan Younis killed at least 26 people in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The airstrikes have deepened fears for hundreds of thousands of civilians who have sought refuge in the Gaza Strip. North Gaza’s biggest hospital, al-Shifa, has been emptied of all but 120 of the most vulnerable patients and has only basic medical resources for new victims as the area continues to be bombarded.
Despite Israeli warnings for civilians to leave certain areas, for weeks they have urged people to move south to protect themselves. More than 20 bodies were shown lined up outside a hospital, prompting UN officials to condemn the deaths.
Efforts to evacuate citizens have been difficult, with severe overcrowding in shelters and private homes. Israel’s chief military spokesman, R Adm Daniel Hagari, stated that its troops would attack wherever Hamas exists, including in the south of the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the collateral damage caused by the war, blaming Hamas for civilian casualties as fighting triggers a humanitarian crisis in the region.
Aid agencies have been unable to provide essential supplies to people due to shortages of fuel and communications problems in Gaza, which is now home to displaced individuals accounting for more than two-thirds of its population. Security officials in Israel expect civilian deaths to rise as fighting shifts to crowded areas, with the death toll from Hamas-run health authorities updated to more than 12,000 dead, including 5,000 children.
The deteriorating situation has led to fears that Israel aims to push Palestinians out of their territory, with regional leaders and foreign minister Ayman Safadi of Jordan speaking out against displacement. These events have raised serious concerns about a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.