By The Israel-Hamas conflict has intensified with a series of deadly Israeli airstrikes across northern Gaza, resulting in at least 39 fatalities on Saturday, according to Palestinian and hospital officials. This escalation comes amid rising tensions in the West Bank and growing domestic pressure on the Israeli government.
Fadel Naem, director of the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, reported that over three dozen bodies were brought to the facility following the strikes. The Palestinian Civil Defense is currently conducting rescue operations in the Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City, searching for survivors beneath the rubble. Israel confirmed that its fighter jets targeted two Hamas military sites in the Gaza City area but did not provide further details.
This latest round of casualties follows Friday’s strikes on tent camps near Rafah, which killed at least 25 people and wounded 50 others. The United Nations warns that no place in Gaza is safe, with dire humanitarian conditions affecting over a million displaced Palestinians.
The conflict has also spilled into Lebanon, with an Israeli strike in the eastern Bekaa Valley killing a member of al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, a Sunni Muslim group allied with Hamas. This marks the seventh such casualty in Lebanon since the war’s onset.
In the West Bank, violence continues to escalate. An Israeli man was fatally shot in Qalqilya, where Israeli forces had killed two militants the previous day. The Palestinian Health Ministry reports that at least 549 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli fire since the war began, while Palestinians have killed nine Israelis in the same period, according to UN data.
The Israeli army is investigating an incident involving the transport of an injured Palestinian suspect on the hood of an armored vehicle near Jenin, acknowledging that the conduct “didn’t conform to the values” of the army.
Meanwhile, domestic pressure is mounting on the Israeli government. Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv, demanding new elections and increased efforts to bring home the hostages held by Hamas. Among the protesters were families of the captives, including the parents of Naama Levy, an Israeli soldier who recently marked her 20th birthday in captivity.
As the conflict enters its sixth month, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 37,400, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The war, which began with Hamas’ October 7 attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostages, shows no signs of abating despite international calls for a ceasefire and mounting humanitarian concerns.
AP
