At least 38 Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip in just half an hour, according to Palestinian medics.
A spokesman for the Hamas-run civil defence agency said Israeli warplanes struck a school in eastern Gaza City; an abandoned fuel station sheltering displaced families in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza; and a three-story residential building in Deir al-Balah in southern Gaza.
He added that rescue teams were facing major difficulties reaching the wounded due to a lack of equipment and the intense pace of the bombardment.
According to local activists in Gaza City, 10 people were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit classrooms at the Musa bin Nusayr School, where hundreds of displaced people were sheltering.
In central Gaza, 15 people were reported killed in a strike on tents at an abandoned fuel station in Nuseirat.
Meanwhile, local journalists said 13 Palestinians were killed in an airstrike on the Abu Samra family’s three-story home in central Deir al-Balah.
Separately, Israeli jets launched a “fire belt” of 10 airstrikes on the Shejaiya neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City.
Local reports described the blasts as causing tremors similar to an earthquake. The strikes are believed to have targeted Hamas military tunnels.
Gazans wait for aid to arrive
We’ve heard from Israel’s foreign ministry that trucks of baby food, flour and medical supplies will be allowed to enter the territory “immediately”.
But so far, we have not received reports that any of the trucks have arrived.
The UN has warned that Gaza is on the brink of famine, and people we have been speaking to say they are struggling to cope with hunger.
Doctors at hospitals that are still running in the territory tell us they are rapidly running out of essential medical supplies.
“Me and my kids are so hungry,” one man in southern Gaza said to me earlier, blaming both Israel and Hamas for the situation in the territory.
A journalist in Khan Younis, in the south, described the situation there as “very bad”, saying he had seen nothing enter so far.
Evacuation orders as Israel presses ahead with military campaign
Residents of the southern city of Khan Younis are headed west to al-Mawasi after Israel ordered evacuations ahead of an incoming “unprecedented attack” (more on that here).
News of further attacks in Gaza followed Israel’s announcement that it would bring an end to its 11-week blockade by allowing “minimal” aid into the territory.
As Gazans await the delivery of aid, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will take “control of all areas” in the Strip and prevent looting from Hamas.
Far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich has also said that the military is “destroying everything that remains of the Strip”.
Israel’s blockade has been condemned by aid agencies and world leaders – Keir Starmer today called the situation “intolerable” while the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen called for a ceasefire.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says 136 people have been killed in the past 24 hours, bringing its total death toll since the start of the war on 7 October 2023 to 53,475.
Israel, meanwhile, says it is trying to return hostages held by Hamas – some 58 hostages remain in Gaza, up to 23 are believed to be alive.
Our live coverage will shortly be coming to an end today, but before we go we’ll leave you with a closing post from Alice Cuddy, who is reporting from Jerusalem and has been speaking to people in Gaza and Israel throughout the course of the day.
UK and EU condemn ‘intolerable’ situation in Gaza
Some international reaction now.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has described the situation in Gaza as “intolerable”.
Standing alongside him at a UK-EU Summit this afternoon, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the blockade “needs to be lifted now”.
She also calls for the release of Israeli hostages from Gaza and a ceasefire.
Hostage relatives desperate for loved ones’ return
The Israeli military said on Sunday “the only thing that will stop [the military operation in Gaza] is returning the hostages home”. There are 58 hostages in Gaza, up to 23 of whom are believed to be alive.
The Hostage Families Forum, the main group representing relatives of those held captive in Gaza, has called on the Israeli government to reach a deal to secure the hostages’ return.
I’ve been speaking in recent days to relatives of some of those still held in Gaza, who are desperate to be reunited with their loved ones.
“Every day, we live in uncertainty – anger, fear, exhaustion – and also camaraderie with other hostage families, and a sense of purpose and mission,” said Emilio Lavi, whose brother-in-law Omri Miran was kidnapped by Hamas gunmen on 7 October 2023 from his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
“We’ve fought, spoken out, travelled, advocated – just to keep Omri’s name alive, to stop the world from forgetting, and to push for a viable hostage deal. “
Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod, an Israeli soldier, was kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October 2023, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “go for a permanent ceasefire and a hostage deal”.
“We are worried about [Nimrod], and we want it to end,” he said.
As we have been reporting, Israel launched “extensive ground operations” in Gaza over the weekend, as part of what it calls Operation Gideon’s Chariot.
Mapped: Where aid could enter into Gaza
Source has been catching up over the phone with the mother of Siwar Ashour, the severely malnourished baby whose story has been told in recent weeks.
Five-month-old Siwar cannot absorb regular formula milk and doctors say the Israeli blockade means that supplies of the formula she needs are scarce.
She is being discharged today from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, as she is now maintaining her weight, her mother says. But, she adds, the milk formula she has been given will expire next month.
“I’m happy to leave the hospital. I feel mentally drained from staying there,” Najwa says.
Najwa plans to stay with family displaced in Khan Younis, living between a tent and a partially destroyed room. Siwar’s father is still at their home in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza.
The area Najwa’s family are staying in is not under the Israeli evacuation orders issued today.
Constant sound of Israeli air attacks near border with Gaza
Throughout the day the sound of Israeli artillery and air attacks has been constant.
From my vantage point on the border, near the Israeli town of Sderot, you can see the dark plumes of smoke in the distance as, only a few miles away, Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and other parts of northern Gaza are hit.
Also noticeable are the long clouds of dust being thrown up as columns of Israeli armour make their way towards the built up areas of the north.
Israel has promised “unprecedented” attacks as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariots – that would be quite something to contemplate, mindful of the fact that the last 20 months of war have been described as one of the largest bombardments in military history.
More than 130 people are reported to have been killed by Israeli attacks over the last day alone. If Israel fulfils its threat to control “all of Gaza”, sending in thousands of troops to “destroy” Hamas, the impact on Gaza and its population of 2.1m will be significant.
Khan Younis evacuation underway as Israeli military plans attack
More now from Khan Younis as the first pictures emerge of residents fleeing the area, heading to al-Mawasi along the coast.
Images show civilians leaving with their belongings strapped to donkeys and makeshift carts.
Earlier today, Israel’s military urged residents in the area to leave immediately ahead of an “unprecedented attack to destroy the capabilities of terrorist organisations”.
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SOURCE: BBC NEWS
