Israel escalated its airstrikes on Gaza over the weekend, killing dozens of Palestinians mainly in the north, where at least 33 have died in the latest surge in attacks, with 20 dead in Beit Lahiya, four in Gaza City, six in the central areas, and three in southern Khan Younis, Al Jazeera Arabic reported in conjunction with the Wafa news agency.
Israeli jets and quadcopter drones targeted the children’s ward of the facility at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, injuring medical staff and patients, said nursing director Eid Sabbah. “The upper floors were damaged, and some children and newborns sustained injuries,” Sabbah said by telephone. He said that was the second day in a row the hospital had been hit.
A week before, Israeli forces had violently stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, arresting dozens, leaving the hospital to be run by only four doctors and about 50 volunteers, nurses, and medical workers.
The towns of Beit Lahiya, Jabalia, and Beit Hanoon have been under attack for the past month as Israeli military operations in the north intensify. Despite receiving repeated displacement orders from Israel, tens of thousands of civilians remain in these areas, fearing they will be hit by sniper fire or attacked in designated “safe zones” or will not be allowed to return to their homes.
It said it aims to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping but has been, at the same time, laying a siege on several northern areas and tightening the already severely constricted humanitarian aid coming into Gaza. In October, Israel allowed just 30 humanitarian trucks per day into the region–only 6 percent of the supplies that flowed into Gaza before the conflict escalated, according to Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Israel has formally informed the UN that it is ending its arrangement with UNRWA, claiming that some of its employees were Hamas fighters who participated in the October 7 attacks in southern Israel. According to the agency, the move could trigger a “collapse” of humanitarian assistance in Gaza. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said UN lawyers are now studying the consequences of the step.
In mid-October, the United States issued a rare warning to Israel, asking it to take concrete steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within 30 days or face potential restrictions on military aid. As of Monday, U.S. Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller indicated that the outcomes were “not good enough,” adding that Israel has not adequately implemented the recommendations made by the U.S.
The United States remains Israel’s largest supplier of military equipment, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently urged Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to “substantially increase and sustain humanitarian aid—including food, medicine, and other essential supplies—to civilians across all of Gaza.”
Since the war intensified on October 7, the Gaza war has resulted in the deaths of at least 43,391 Palestinians and over 102,347 injuries. On the same day, about 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the attacks led by Hamas, with over 200 captured.
