A Gaza family grieved on Saturday over the loss of children killed by an Israeli strike while they were preparing to play football. This incident occurred amid intensified bombardment, which Palestinian health authorities claim has resulted in the death of 44 people over the past 24 hours.
The strike took place in Mawasi, a southern coastal area where hundreds of thousands of people have sought refuge after Israel's military instructed them to evacuate other areas under attack in its war against Hamas.
"The rocket hit them. There were no targeted individuals there, and no one else was on the street. Only the children were killed yesterday," said Mohammed Zanoun, a relative of the deceased children.
Palestinian health authorities report that Israel's military campaign in Gaza has claimed the lives of over 43,500 people, with an additional 10,000 believed to be dead and unaccounted for under the rubble.
An Israeli strike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, resulted in the death of at least seven people on Saturday, according to Lebanese health authorities. The UN Human Rights Office stated on Friday that nearly 70% of the verified fatalities in Gaza were women and children. Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva, where the office is based, categorically rejected the report, asserting that it does not accurately reflect the realities on the ground.
Overnight and early morning strikes also claimed the lives of four Palestinians east of Gaza City, including two journalists, four people in a house in Beit Lahiya, and two people in a tent at al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah, according to medics.
Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on strikes in areas where displaced people were sheltering. It has previously stated that Hamas fighters hide among the civilian population and are targeted when identified. Hamas denies these allegations.
For the past month, Israel's main military focus has been in northern Gaza, the initial part of the territory that its troops overran early in the conflict last year. A committee of global food security experts warned on Friday of a strong likelihood of imminent famine in northern Gaza due to the renewed fighting.
Israel's military reported that 11 trucks of food, water, and medical supplies were delivered to the northern Gaza areas of Jabalia and Beit Hanoun on Saturday. It criticized the famine assessment as based on "partial, biased data" and announced preparations to open the Kissufim crossing into Gaza to expand aid routes.
On-off peace talks mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar have shown little progress over months. On Friday, a US official disclosed that Washington had requested Qatar to close the Hamas office in Doha after the group rejected a ceasefire proposal. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri dismissed the report as "an American attempt to exert media pressure on the movement." Hamas officials have stated that Qatar has not asked them to leave.
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