Gaza Rescuers Report 10 Dead as Israel Launches New Operation

Israeli military operations escalated in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, resulting in multiple civilian deaths, according to local emergency response teams. This development follows the announcement by Israeli forces of a new phase in their campaign aimed at dismantling Hamas and securing the release of hostages held in the enclave.

Local emergency officials reported that at least 10 individuals were killed in a series of strikes carried out across Gaza. According to the Gaza civil defense agency, three fatalities and four injuries occurred in drone attacks targeting eastern Khan Yunis. Separately, three more deaths were confirmed after an airstrike struck a residential building in Jabalia, a densely populated area in northern Gaza.

In addition, an aerial assault on an apartment block northwest of Khan Yunis led to three additional deaths. Another strike on a makeshift shelter west of the city resulted in one death and five injuries, with victims including a young girl, a woman, and a pregnant civilian.

These incidents unfolded shortly after the Israeli military disclosed the beginning of a large-scale ground and air offensive. The military reported that it had launched coordinated strikes and deployed additional ground units into Gaza as part of a wider effort to accomplish its stated wartime objectives: eliminating Hamas’s operational capabilities and securing the release of Israeli hostages.

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens as Infrastructure Collapses

As military activity intensified, humanitarian conditions within Gaza deteriorated further. One of the few remaining partially functional medical facilities, the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, issued a dire warning. The hospital reported structural damage from nearby strikes, including collapsed ceilings and cracked walls, which have compromised its ability to function safely.

Marwan Sultan, the hospital’s director, stated that operating rooms and intensive care units were operating at full capacity and could no longer accommodate additional critical patients. He also highlighted a severe shortage of blood, medication, and essential medical equipment.

In a desperate move, healthcare workers have been relying on blood transfusions sourced directly from other patients and, in some cases, from the hospital staff themselves due to widespread malnutrition and the lack of public blood donations.

Aid Blockade Raises International Alarm

The launch of this new phase in Israel’s military campaign comes amid growing international concern over a blockade imposed in early March. Since then, humanitarian access to Gaza has been severely restricted, creating acute shortages of food, water, fuel, and medical supplies. Aid organizations have repeatedly warned that the continued blockade risks plunging the region into deeper humanitarian catastrophe.

Efforts to revive stalled ceasefire talks have so far yielded no breakthroughs, with Israel intensifying its offensive as diplomatic negotiations remain deadlocked.

The Israeli government maintains that its current actions are essential to achieving security goals and bringing an end to hostilities, but the toll on Gaza’s civilian population continues to rise, as vital infrastructure crumbles under the pressure of ongoing conflict.