At least 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire on Saturday, reports local hospitals. The cause of death included people sheltering in tents or seeking aid.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, has warned that Gaza City could be destroyed in a new military operation perhaps just days away, even as famine spreads there, reports AP/UNB.
Israeli tanks were seen advancing into the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City, near the Zeitoun neighbourhood which was heavily targeted by Israel in the past week.
Israeli strikes killed at least 17 people in southern Gaza, women and children comprising more than half the victims, according to morgue records and health officials at Nasser Hospital. The officials said the strikes targeted tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, reports AP/UNB.
At least 22 Palestinians were reported to have been killed while seeking humanitarian aid. Months of Israeli restrictions on food and medical supplies entering Gaza are causing starvation, according to Al Jazeera.
The number of malnutrition-related deaths rose by eight to 281, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, eleven more people were killed in attacks elsewhere, according to hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said cameraman Khaled al-Madhoun was killed while covering events at the Zikim crossing, and asserted that he was targeted by Israeli troops. The local Palestine TV confirmed his death.
The United Nations officially declared famine in Gaza on Friday, with the report stating at least 500,000 people face catastrophic hunger.
Israel has rejected the data-based famine declaration as “an outright lie.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office asserts it has allowed enough aid to enter during the war, while accusing Hamas of starving the hostages it holds.
With ground troops already active in Gaza City’s outskirts, the military operation could start within days in an area with hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Aid group Doctors without Borders, or MSF, said its clinics around Gaza City see high numbers of patients as people flee.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 62,622 Palestinians have been killed in the war, including missing people now confirmed dead by a special ministry judicial committee.