In the last 24 hours, Israeli raids on two residential buildings in the northern Gaza Strip left 84 people dead, including more than 50 childrenas reported by the government press office in Gaza, run by Hamas. In addition to the confirmed victims, many people are injured or missing under the rubble. Rescue operations are underway, but rescuers face extremely difficult conditions due to continuous bombing and the limited availability of equipment for recovering bodies and rescuing the wounded.
These new attacks are part of an intensification of Israel’s military operations in response to recent rocket attacks from the Strip into Israeli territory. Tel Aviv stated that the operations aim to hit infrastructure and positions of Hamas and other armed groups present in Gaza.
The international community is following the evolution of the crisis with growing concern: the United Nations, the European Union and other humanitarian organizations have expressed alarm at the high number of civilian victims and have called on both sides to moderate the escalation of violence. Calls for a ceasefire continue, but the prospects of a truce appear difficult at the moment, with both sides showing determination to continue operations.
Local sources, including Haaretz and Al Jazeera, report that in the most affected neighborhoods the population is forced to leave their homes in an attempt to escape the bombings, while those who are unable to evacuate deal with the collapse of essential services and the shortage of basic necessities. With the intensification of military actions, the humanitarian situation in the Strip worsens further: overcrowded hospitals and the shortage of medicines make it difficult to provide assistance to the thousands of wounded, worsening the already dramatic situation for civilians stuck in the conflict.
The situation remains highly unstable and on a diplomatic level international attempts continue to negotiate a truce that would allow humanitarian organizations to enter Gaza and assist the population.