Israel’s Defence Ministry has approved a plan to seize Gaza City, drawing sharp condemnation from relatives of Israeli captives held in Gaza, who accused the government of ignoring a ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas. Families called the move “a stab in the heart,” warning it undermines hopes of securing the captives’ release.
On the ground, Al Jazeera reporters documented a “steady influx” of families fleeing Gaza City, despite there being no safe refuge anywhere in the enclave. Since dawn, at least 35 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza, including 10 people seeking food aid, according to medical sources.
The toll of Israel’s war on Gaza continues to climb, with at least 62,064 Palestinians killed and 156,573 wounded to date. In Israel, 1,139 people were killed in the October 7 attacks, during which more than 200 were taken captive.
Civil Defence crews in Gaza reported 33 missions in the past 24 hours, including ambulance transfers, rescues, and the recovery of bodies from bomb sites.
In the north, Israeli strikes killed two people and wounded four near Halimah al-Saadiyah School in Jabalia, while another attack on a tent sheltering displaced families killed five and injured three. Three patients were also transferred to the Sheikh Radwan health centre.
In Gaza City, Civil Defence reported one person killed in a strike on the Awqaf building on al-Basatin Street. A bombing of the al-Masri family home in the Sabra neighbourhood left two wounded, with five others evacuated.
Central Gaza saw further destruction: a strike on the Darwish family home near the al-Sawarah cemetery killed one and wounded four, while crews extinguished a fire in a tent near al-Sawarah School. Several patients were transferred to al-Aqsa and al-Awda hospitals.
In Khan Younis, two patients were transferred to field hospitals, and one was wounded in a strike near al-Shafi’i Mosque. In Rafah, gunfire and bombings left two dead and at least two more injured, with casualties taken to hospitals supported by the Red Cross, Britain, and Jordan.
-Peace News Desk