Israeli forces are intensifying their attacks on the outskirts of Gaza City, residents say, as the military steps up preparations for a ground offensive to conquer it. Hospitals said women and children were among more than 30 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in the city on Wednesday, most of them in the north and west. The Israeli military's chief of staff vowed to continue striking Hamas's centres of gravity until it is defeated and its hostages freed.
The UN and aid groups said the Israeli operations were already having horrific humanitarian consequences for displaced families sheltering in the city, which is home to a million people and where a famine was declared last month.
Meanwhile, Israeli protesters took part in what they called a day of disruption to press their government to immediately agree to a deal that would end the war in return for the release of all 48 Israeli and foreign hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Hospital officials said Israeli strikes and gunfire across the Gaza Strip had killed at least 46 people since midnight.
Gaza City's Shifa hospital said it had received the bodies of 21 people, including five killed when an Israeli warplane targeted an apartment in the western Fisherman's Port area. One of the strikes killed the parents and two sisters of three-year-old Ibrahim al-Mabhuh, his grandmother said. First responders reported that Israeli drones dropped incendiary bombs in the vicinity of a clinic.
UN agencies have highlighted the horrific humanitarian consequences of intensified military operations in Gaza City, with over 82,000 newly displaced since the escalation. The military has instructed civilians to move south but conditions in southern Gaza remain dire. Protesters in Israel demand a ceasefire to secure the hostages' safety amid fears of military escalation harming them further.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Israel's intent to conquer all of Gaza, rejecting proposals for a limited ceasefire or exchange of hostages. President Trump has also intervened, urging Hamas to release all hostages involved for negotiations to proceed.
The UN and aid groups said the Israeli operations were already having horrific humanitarian consequences for displaced families sheltering in the city, which is home to a million people and where a famine was declared last month.
Meanwhile, Israeli protesters took part in what they called a day of disruption to press their government to immediately agree to a deal that would end the war in return for the release of all 48 Israeli and foreign hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Hospital officials said Israeli strikes and gunfire across the Gaza Strip had killed at least 46 people since midnight.
Gaza City's Shifa hospital said it had received the bodies of 21 people, including five killed when an Israeli warplane targeted an apartment in the western Fisherman's Port area. One of the strikes killed the parents and two sisters of three-year-old Ibrahim al-Mabhuh, his grandmother said. First responders reported that Israeli drones dropped incendiary bombs in the vicinity of a clinic.
UN agencies have highlighted the horrific humanitarian consequences of intensified military operations in Gaza City, with over 82,000 newly displaced since the escalation. The military has instructed civilians to move south but conditions in southern Gaza remain dire. Protesters in Israel demand a ceasefire to secure the hostages' safety amid fears of military escalation harming them further.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Israel's intent to conquer all of Gaza, rejecting proposals for a limited ceasefire or exchange of hostages. President Trump has also intervened, urging Hamas to release all hostages involved for negotiations to proceed.
