On Saturday 4 October, the Gaza Strip witnessed a new round of intense Israeli bombing targeting several areas from the north to the south of the Strip, leaving dozens dead and wounded, at a time when international calls are mounting for an end to the Israeli attacks that have been ongoing for two full years.

Israel continues its aggression against besieged civilians in Gaza despite the US president’s demand to stop the bombing after Hamas responded to his plan to end the war.

Continuous bombing and evacuation warnings in Gaza

Medical sources said that Israeli bombing has killed at least 16 people since dawn, including 15 in Gaza City, while dozens more were wounded by air strikes and artillery fire that hit the Tuffah, Al-Nasr and Al-Lababidi neighbourhoods in the city, as well as areas in Khan Yunis in the south of the Strip.

Reports indicate that Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets on the area surrounding Al-Shifa Hospital in western Gaza, calling on residents to evacuate to the south, while the Israeli army warned via the ‘X’ platform against returning to areas north of the Gaza Valley, considering them a ‘dangerous combat zone.’

According to field correspondents, the pace of the raids slowed in the early hours of the morning before picking up again this morning, while artillery shelling continued on scattered areas in Gaza City and the centre of the Strip.

Eyewitnesses reported that the temporary lull in shelling prompted some residents to leave their shelters and head to the markets, especially in the Nuseirat camp, but the renewed shelling forced them to return to their shelters amid a state of fear and confusion.

Widespread demolition, destruction, and death

Local sources reported that Israeli forces carried out new demolitions of residential buildings in several neighbourhoods of Gaza City, as part of the ongoing campaign of destruction targeting infrastructure and civilian areas.

Civil defence spokesman Major Mahmoud Basal described last night’s bombing of the city as ‘insane,’ stressing that rescue crews are having difficulty reaching the targeted sites due to the continued bombing and the collapse of roads.

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Israeli bombing on Friday resulted in the martyrdom of 63 Palestinians, including 38 in Gaza City alone, bringing the toll of the aggression since 7 October 2023 to 67,074 martyrs and 169,430 wounded.

Israel’s victims of hunger and starvation

In a parallel context, the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced the death of two children in the past 24 hours due to starvation and malnutrition, bringing the number of hunger victims to 459, including 154 children.

It also reported that six people were killed and 40 others wounded by Israeli fire while attempting to obtain food aid in the north of the Strip.

It should be noted that Gaza City was officially declared a famine zone on 22 August, amid the continuing total blockade and the prevention of humanitarian aid from entering.

Despite repeated international and Arab calls to stop the aggression, Israel continues its intensive military operations in the Strip, citing what it calls ‘eliminating threats,’ while human rights organisations describe the humanitarian situation in Gaza as an ‘unprecedented disaster’ that threatens the complete collapse of the health and humanitarian system.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

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