The dead include 15 children who were killed by Israeli strikes on tents
Since Friday, Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip killed well over 100 Palestinians. The IDF continues to pound tents where displaced Palestinians are sheltering.
On Saturday, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that 92 Palestinians were killed over the past two days. The ministry only records the deaths of Palestinians if the bodies are brought to hospitals and morgues. On Sunday, Gaza’s civil defense force reported an additional 25 deaths.
The dead include 15 children who were sheltering in tents near Khan Yonis when an Israeli strike killed them. Reporting on the strike, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum explained, “For the vast majority of civilians, nighttime is the time of horror and unrelenting pain. Nobody is safe in their homes, in the makeshift tents, in displacement camps.”
A separate attack on a civilian gathering killed five.
In mid-March, Israel broke a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas by resuming major military operations in the Strip. Over 1,700 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis since March 18. The death toll since October 7, 2023 is now over 51,000.
Some Israeli officials are saying the goal of the military operations in Gaza is the expulsion of the Palestinians. Last week, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the military to “open the gates of hell” and expel the Palestinians from Gaza.
The official deaths reported by the health ministry are considered a significant undercount as it does not include the thousands of Palestinians lying dead beneath the rubble in Gaza.
On Friday, the Gazan officials confirmed the death of photojournalist Fatima Hassouna to CNN. Hassouna has a major role in a documentary that will make its debut at the Cannes Film Festival.
Before her death, Hassouna said, “If I die, I want a loud death. I don’t want to be just breaking news, or a number in a group; I want a death that the world will hear, an impact that will remain through time, and a timeless image that cannot be buried by time or place.”
Over 200 journalists have been killed by Israel since the October 7 Hamas attack.
Aside from the constant threat from Israeli bombs, Palestinians are increasingly facing starvation. “Kids are eating less than a meal a day and struggling to find their next meal,” said Bushra Khalidi, policy head of Oxfam. “Malnutrition and pockets of famine are definitely occurring in Gaza.”
Hamas again offered to release all hostages if Israel would end military operations in Gaza, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the offer. “We are at a critical stage of the campaign, and at this point, we need patience and determination to win,” he said.
Reprint from Antiwar.com
