Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza Escalate Tensions
Israeli aircraft distributed leaflets over southern Gaza on Saturday, displaying an image of deceased Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar alongside a message stating, "Hamas will no longer rule Gaza." This message aligns with statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The leaflet drop coincided with intensified Israeli military actions, resulting in the deaths of at least 35 individuals across the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian health officials, these strikes have also led to a tightened siege around hospitals in the northern Jabalia area of the enclave.
The leaflets, written in Arabic, reportedly stated, "Whoever drops the weapon and hands over the hostages will be allowed to leave and live in peace." This message echoed a statement made by Netanyahu on Thursday, following Sinwar’s death at the hands of Israeli forces operating in Rafah on Wednesday, near the border with Egypt.
Sinwar was allegedly responsible for planning an attack on Israeli communities on October 7 of the previous year, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 253 individuals being taken as hostages to Gaza, as indicated by Israeli records.
The ongoing conflict has wrought significant destruction in Gaza. According to Gaza health authorities, the Israeli offensive has claimed the lives of over 42,500 Palestinians, with another estimated 10,000 presumed dead beneath the debris.
One particular strike in the Al-Maghzai camp in central Gaza resulted in 11 casualties when a house was hit. Another nearby strike in the Nuseirat camp left four dead. Additional strikes claimed lives in south Gaza’s Khan Younis and Rafah, with medics reporting five fatalities, while seven Palestinians were killed in the northern Shati camp.
Later on Saturday, an Israeli strike in central Gaza’s Nuseirat resulted in three more deaths. On Friday night, medics reported that 33 people, primarily women and children, were killed and 85 others injured in Israeli strikes that demolished at least three Jabalia houses. The Israeli military stated it was unaware of this incident.
Israeli forces are reportedly continuing their operations across the enclave, targeting Hamas and eliminating several gunmen in Rafah and Jabalia, as well as dismantling military infrastructure. Palestinian medics reported that five individuals were killed in Jabalia on Saturday.
Evacuation Orders and Siege Intensification
Residents and medics noted that Israeli forces had intensified their siege of Jabalia, the enclave’s largest of eight historic camps, by surrounding it with tanks in nearby Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya towns. Evacuation orders were issued to residents. Israeli officials claim the orders aim to separate Hamas fighters from civilians, denying any systematic plan to evacuate civilians from Jabalia or other northern areas.
In Jabalia, eyewitnesses reported that Israeli forces besieged multiple shelters housing displaced families before detaining dozens of men. Unverified social media footage depicted Palestinian men sitting on the ground adjacent to a tank, with others being led by a soldier to a gathering point.
Residents and health officials accuse Israeli forces of bombing homes and besieging hospitals, blocking medical and food supplies to coerce evacuations from the camp. Health officials reported resistance to Israeli army orders to evacuate a hospital, emphasizing the critical condition of many patients.
The Gaza health ministry accused Israeli forces of targeting the health system in northern Gaza, including the Indonesian, Kamal Adwan, and Al-Awda hospitals, to disable services. According to the ministry, two patients in intensive care died at the Indonesian Hospital due to the siege, power outages, and lack of medical supplies.
Israel’s military stated that troops in the area were briefed on the importance of minimizing harm to civilians and medical infrastructure, asserting that the hospital continues to fully operate with no intentional fires targeting it.
