At least 48 Palestinians were killed on Saturday in intensified Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense authority, as the humanitarian situation in Gaza City continues to deteriorate.
Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told Xinhua that bodies of the victims, including those killed in strikes on residential homes and makeshift tents sheltering displaced families, were transferred to hospitals throughout the enclave.
He added that three Palestinians were shot dead in front of an aid distribution center in the central Netzarim axis.
Israeli forces are pressing deeper into Gaza City, with witnesses reporting heavy artillery fire, drone-dropped explosives, and raids in surrounding neighborhoods.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Saturday that its air force struck around 120 targets over the past 24 hours, including what it described as military sites and militant infrastructure.
Humanitarian agencies warn that Gaza’s health system is nearing total collapse. With an estimated 400,000 residents still trapped in the city, shortages of food, medicine, and water are worsening. Mother-of-three Umm Rafik Salem told Xinhua that markets are empty and kitchens that once provided free meals have fled south.
Gaza Municipality spokesperson Assem Al-Nabih said water availability has fallen to less than a quarter of daily needs, with unstable supplies from Israel’s Mekorot water company supplemented by limited local wells.
Israel’s war in Gaza, which began on 7 October 2023 after Hamas-led militants launched a surprise assault that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages, has now entered its second year. Gaza health authorities say the conflict has killed nearly 66,000 Palestinians and left vast destruction to homes, hospitals, and infrastructure.
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