Israeli forces have intensified their offensive on Gaza City, launching a wave of air raids that killed at least 49 Palestinians and displaced more than 6,000 in a single day, according to the Palestinian Civil Defence.
Saturday's toll brought the total number of Palestinians killed across the Gaza Strip that day to 62. Witnesses reported rapid and successive airstrikes aimed at flattening buildings, including United Nations-run schools sheltering displaced civilians.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defence agency, described conditions in Gaza City as “extremely difficult” amid continuous bombardment and siege.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said Israeli fighter jets were bombing “every 10 to 15 minutes,” targeting residential buildings and public facilities.
He said the lack of adequate warnings before the strikes and said the attacks were pressuring areas crowded with displaced families, now largely concentrated in the city’s western flank.
Despite warnings to evacuate, many civilians have remained in Gaza City or returned after attempting to flee to al-Mawasi—a designated “safe zone” in southern Gaza that is now severely overcrowded and regularly targeted by Israeli strikes.
Dr Muhammad Abu Salmiya, director of al-Shifa Hospital, confirmed that many families trying to reach the south returned to Gaza City after being unable to find shelter or basic necessities. “Only a small number have been able to reach the south,” he said.
The Israeli military claimed on social media that more than 250,000 people had fled Gaza City, but reverse displacement is reportedly increasing, as civilians find no safety in areas like al-Mawasi.
One displaced resident, Faraj Ashour, who lost his legs in an Israeli strike, told Al Jazeera: “There was no safety. It’s all lies. If they’re going to kill me, may as well be in Gaza City.”
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported on Saturday that 86 percent of Gaza is now either militarised or under threat of displacement.
In Gaza City, Israeli warplanes struck three UN schools in the Shati refugee camp, killing multiple civilians sheltering inside. Survivors said they received little to no warning.
“We left with what we are wearing. Now I’m sitting in a tent and I have nothing for my children,” said Fidaa al-Za’aneen, who escaped one of the targeted schools.
Over recent weeks, the Israeli military has systematically levelled Gaza City’s high-rise towers, claiming they are used by Hamas, though it has offered no public evidence. On Saturday, Defence Minister Israel Katz posted footage of the Burj al-Nur tower collapsing after being struck.
Additional strikes targeted the public prosecution building and an outdoor dining area used by displaced residents as a communal charging point.
Outside Gaza City, seven Palestinians were killed while attempting to collect aid in al-Wadi, central Gaza. A separate artillery strike killed one person in the Bureij refugee camp, and four others died in an airstrike on a tent at Palestine Stadium.
In southern Gaza, three people were killed in Khan Younis’s al-Amal neighbourhood, while five more were wounded in a drone attack on tents sheltering displaced civilians.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health said seven people—including children—died from malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours, raising the starvation-related death toll to 420, including 145 children, since the war began.
Source: Al Jazeera
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