Israeli forces intensify airstrikes in northern Gaza, setting the stage for a push into Gaza City
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces have severed northern Gaza from the rest of the besieged territory and launched intense airstrikes overnight into Monday, leading to an expected push into the densely populated Gaza City and an even bloodier phase of the month-long war.
The Palestinian death toll has now exceeded 10,000, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians. On the Israeli side, around 1,400 people have died, with the majority being civilians killed in the incursion by Hamas on October 7, which sparked the conflict.
This grim milestone marks the deadliest round of Israeli-Palestinian violence since Israel’s establishment 75 years ago. With Israel vowing to remove Hamas from power and crush its military capabilities, there seems to be no end in sight.
As the war transitions into close urban combat, casualties are likely to increase even further. Israeli media reports that troops are expected to enter Gaza City soon, and Palestinian militants, who have spent years preparing, are likely to engage in street-to-street fighting, utilizing their vast network of tunnels for ambushes.
Late on Sunday, the Israeli military announced that it had cut off northern Gaza from the south, describing it as a “significant stage” in the war. On Monday, the military reported that they struck 450 targets overnight, and ground troops took control of a Hamas compound. The military states that a one-way corridor for residents to flee south is still available for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians remaining in Gaza City and other parts of the north.
Since the war began, around 1.5 million Palestinians, accounting for about 70% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced from their homes. Food, medicine, fuel, and water supplies are running low, and U.N.-run schools-turned-shelters are overwhelmed, forcing many to sleep on the streets. The recent territory-wide outages of mobile phone and internet services have further complicated the situation, making it increasingly difficult for civilians to seek safety or contact emergency services.
Despite U.S. suggestions for a pause in fighting to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries and release hostages, Israel has rejected these proposals. Calls for a broader cease-fire from concerned Arab countries, including Jordan and Egypt, have also been dismissed. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently concluded his tour of the region, stating that efforts to secure a humanitarian pause, negotiate the release of hostages, and plan for a post-Hamas Gaza are still a “work in progress” with no concrete achievements yet.
The war has also sparked tensions beyond Israeli and Palestinian borders, with Hezbollah and Israel exchanging fire along the Lebanese border. In another sign of growing unrest, a Palestinian man stabbed and wounded two members of Israel’s paramilitary Border Police in East Jerusalem before being shot dead. Israel captured East Jerusalem, along with Gaza and the West Bank, in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians aim to establish a future state encompassing all three territories, while Israel considers the entire city of Jerusalem its capital.
In an effort to provide aid to northern Gaza, a Jordanian military cargo plane air-dropped medical supplies to a field hospital, according to King Abdullah II. This represents a potential alternative avenue for aid delivery besides Egypt’s Rafah crossing, which has been the only entry point so far.
While over 450 trucks carrying aid have been allowed into Gaza from Egypt since October 21, humanitarian workers say it remains insufficient to meet the mounting needs of the territory’s 2.3 million Palestinians. Northern Gaza is currently facing a severe water shortage, exacerbating the dire situation.
Israel’s bombardments have continued across the territory, with strikes in central and southern Gaza leading to dozens of deaths. Israel attributes civilian casualties to Hamas, accusing the militants of operating in residential areas.
On Monday, Palestinians held a mass funeral for 66 people in the central town of Deir al-Balah. The Health Ministry reported that a total of 10,022 people have been killed in Gaza, including over 4,100 children and 2,600 women.
Meanwhile, in south Lebanon, four civilians, including three children, were killed by an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle late Sunday. The Israeli military initially stated that it had struck Hezbollah targets in response to anti-tank fire that killed an Israeli civilian. Hezbollah retaliated by firing Grad rockets into Israel from southern Lebanon.
As the ground offensive continues, the Israeli military confirmed the killing of a senior Hamas militant, Jamal Mussa, who allegedly carried out a shooting attack against Israeli soldiers in Gaza in 1993.
Since the ground offensive began over a week ago, 30 Israeli troops have been killed, while Palestinian militants have continued to launch rockets into Israel. As a result, tens of thousands of Israelis residing near the borders with Gaza and Lebanon have evacuated.
Magdy reported from Cairo, with contributions from Associated Press journalists Najib Jobain in Khan Younis, Amy Teibel and Sam McNeil in Jerusalem, and Kareem Chehayeb and Bassem Mroue in Beirut.
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