The Israeli military has launched what it calls the “initial stages” of an intensified operation in Gaza, targeting Hamas and aiming to achieve key war objectives, including the release of hostages and the group’s defeat. The renewed campaign has already led to the deaths of at least 10 people in fresh airstrikes reported on Saturday, according to local rescue teams.
In a statement posted online, the Israeli army said it had “launched extensive strikes and transferred forces to seize control of areas within the Gaza Strip,” marking a significant escalation in its ongoing offensive. This comes amid an already dire humanitarian crisis, with aid blockades compounding suffering across the besieged Palestinian territory.
One of Gaza’s last functioning hospitals reported it could no longer treat critically wounded patients due to a lack of supplies and damage from a nearby attack.
Gaza Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 10 bodies had been recovered following Israeli strikes early Saturday. Among the incidents reported were a drone strike east of Khan Yunis that killed three people and wounded four, and the bombing of a home in Jabalia that claimed three more lives. An attack on an apartment northwest of Khan Yunis killed three others, while a strike on a tent west of the city left one dead and five wounded including a young girl, a woman, and a pregnant woman.
According to Gaza’s civil defence agency, at least 100 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes the previous day alone.
Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, ending a two-month truce that followed Hamas’s October 2023 assault.
The renewed military campaign has drawn sharp international criticism. On Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the escalation and raised concerns over what he described as a possible attempt to permanently displace Gaza’s population.
