GAZA: Heavy Israeli shelling and bombardment hit Gaza City’s Shujaiya district for a fourth day on Sunday, months after the Israeli army declared Hamas’s command structure dismantled in the northern region.
According to the Gaza health ministry, the death toll has risen to at least 37,877 Palestinians since the start of nearly nine months of intense Israeli bombardment in the besieged territory. In the last 24 hours alone, 43 Palestinians have been killed. Furthermore, 86,969 people have been wounded since October 7.
The ongoing violence has prompted tens of thousands of residents to flee the devastated neighborhoods, particularly from Shujaiya, where the Israeli military has launched intense bombardment exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian territory.
In addition to ground operations, the Israeli military reported conducting airstrikes dismantling infrastructure across Gaza.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that between 60,000 to 80,000 Palestinian people have been displaced from Shujaiya since the renewed bombardment started on Thursday, following evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army.
Efforts towards a potential truce and hostage release deal have shown little progress, with Hamas criticizing recent proposals from US mediators as offering “no real progress” in negotiations to halt the Israeli aggression. US President Joe Biden had recently outlined a proposed plan involving a six-week truce and a prisoner exchange, which has failed to gain traction.
Washington last week presented “new language” for parts of the proposed deal, according to US news site Axios.
A Hamas official in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, confirmed that the Palestinian resistance movement had received the latest proposal but said it presented “no real progress in the negotiations to stop the aggression”.
Hamdan labelled the proposals “a waste of time” that aimed to give “additional time for the occupation (Israel) to practice genocide”.
The dire humanitarian situation in Gaza has drawn international concern, with UN agencies warning of an impending humanitarian crisis and the threat of starvation for Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants.
Louise Wateridge from UNRWA described the conditions in Khan Younis as “unbearable,” noting widespread destruction and lack of basic necessities such as water, sanitation, and food. “Everything is rubble,” she said. “And yet people are living there again… There’s no water there, there’s no sanitation, there’s no food. And now, people are living back in these buildings that are empty shells.”
Meanwhile, in Israel, thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv demanding greater efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. Former hostage Noa Argamani, rescued in a recent special forces operation, urged continued efforts to bring back those still in captivity.
The conflict in Gaza has also heightened tensions along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where exchanges of fire between the Israeli military and Hezbollah have escalated since October. Both sides have issued warnings and threats, raising fears of a broader regional conflict involving Hezbollah and other groups.
Israel’s military said this month that its plans for a Lebanon offensive had been “approved and validated”, prompting Hezbollah to respond that no part of Israel would be spared in a full-blown conflict.
Iran’s mission to the UN, on social media Saturday, said it “deems as psychological warfare the Zionist regime’s propaganda about intending to attack Lebanon”.
It also warned its arch foe that, “should it embark on full-scale military aggression, an obliterating war will ensue”. “All options, including the full involvement of all Resistance Fronts, are on the table.”
