Since Thursday morning, Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed over 250 people, according to local health authorities. This marks one of the deadliest phases of bombardment since a March truce collapsed. A new ground offensive is expected soon.
The air and artillery strikes focused on the northern section of the crowded enclave. Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Khalil al-Deqran said dozens of people, including women and children, died overnight.
Israel has intensified its bombardment. They have also built up armor along the border, despite growing international pressure. The pressure calls for Israel to resume ceasefire talks and end its blockade of Gaza. An international hunger monitor has warned of famine there.
U.S. President Donald Trump backed aid for the Palestinians on Friday. He said people in Gaza are starving. He added that he expected “a lot of good things” in the next month.
Asked whether he supported Israeli plans to expand the war in Gaza, Trump told reporters: “I think a lot of good things are going to happen over the next month, and we’re going to see. We have to help also out the Palestinians. You know, a lot of people are starving on Gaza, so we have to look at both sides.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 5 that Israel was planning an expanded and intensive offensive against Hamas. His security cabinet approved plans that could involve seizing the entire Gaza Strip and controlling aid.
An Israeli defense official said at the time that the operation would not be launched before Trump concluded his visit to the Middle East. Trump’s visit is expected to end on Friday.
Israel’s declared goal in Gaza is the elimination of Hamas. Hamas attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and seizing about 250 hostages.
Its military campaign has devastated the enclave. It has pushed nearly all inhabitants from their homes and killed more than 53,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities. Aid agencies say its blockade has caused a humanitarian crisis.
Heavy strikes on Friday hit the northern town of Beit Lahiya and the Jabalia refugee camp. Palestinian emergency services reported many bodies still buried in the rubble.
Israel’s military said its air force had struck more than 150 targets across Gaza. They said these included anti-tank missile posts, terrorist cells, military structures and operational centres.
Men picked through a sea of rubble in Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip. This followed the night’s strikes, pulling out sheets of metal as small children clambered through the debris.
Around 10 bodies draped in white sheets were lined up on the ground before their transport to hospital. Women sat crying nearby, and one lifted a corner of a sheet to gaze at the dead person’s face.
Ismail, a man from Gaza City who gave only his first name, described a night of horror. “The non-stop explosions resulting from the airstrikes and tank shelling reminded us of the early days of the war. The ground didn’t stop shaking underneath our feet,” Ismail told Reuters via a chat app.
“We thought Trump arrived to save us, but it seems Netanyahu doesn’t care, neither does Trump,” he added.
Israel has faced increasing international isolation over its campaign in Gaza. Even the United States, its staunchest ally, has expressed unease over the scale of the destruction and the dire situation caused by its blockade on the delivery of food and other vital aid.
On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was “troubled” by the humanitarian situation in the enclave.
Netanyahu has dispatched a team to Doha to take part in ceasefire talks with Qatari mediators. He has ruled out concessions, saying Israel remains committed to defeating Hamas.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum represents some of the families and supporters of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza. The group said that Israel risked missing a “historic opportunity” to bring them home as Trump wound up his visit to the Middle East.
“We are in dramatic hours that will determine the future of our loved ones, the future of Israeli society, and the future of the Middle East,” the group said in a statement.
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