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For the first time, Israeli tanks have advanced into the southern and eastern sectors of Deir al-Balah in Gaza, an area thought by Israeli forces to possibly contain hostages.
This region is heavily populated with Palestinians displaced by over 21 months of conflict in Gaza, many of whom moved west or south following an evacuation order issued by Israel, aiming to dismantle the infrastructure and capabilities of Hamas, the militant faction.
Local medical personnel reported that tank shelling impacted residences and religious sites, resulting in the deaths of at least three Palestinians and injuring several more.
Stéphane Dujarric, a UN spokesperson, stated: “UN personnel are still present in Deir al-Balah, and two of our guesthouses have suffered damage, despite having informed all parties of the locations of our premises, which are protected. All these sites — like all sites populated by civilians — require safeguarding, regardless of evacuation notifications.”
Further south in Khan Younis, an Israeli airstrike claimed the lives of at least five individuals, including a husband, wife, and their two children who were in a tent, according to medics.
In its daily update, Gaza’s health ministry said at least 130 Palestinians had been killed and more than 1,000 wounded by Israeli gunfire and military strikes across the territory in the past 24 hours, one of the highest such totals in recent weeks.
There was no immediate Israeli comment on the Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis incidents.
Israeli sources have said the reason the army had stayed out of the Deir al-Balah districts was because they suspected Hamas might be holding hostages there. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity in Gaza are believed to be still alive.
Families of the hostages have expressed concern for their relatives and demanded an explanation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, defence minister Israel Katz, and the army chief on how they will protect them.
“The people of Israel will not forgive anyone who knowingly endangered the hostages — both the living and the deceased. No one will be able to claim they didn’t know what was at stake,” the Hostage Families Forum Headquarters said in a statement.
Health officials in Gaza have sounded the alarm about possible “mass deaths” in the upcoming days due to starvation, a crisis that has already claimed at least 19 lives since Saturday, as per the health ministry in the region.
United Nations secretary-general António Guterres was appalled by an accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions in Gaza “where the last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing”, Dujarric said.
“He deplores the growing reports of children and adults suffering from malnutrition,” he said.
“Israel has the obligation to allow and facilitate by all the means at its disposal the humanitarian relief provided by the United Nations and by other humanitarian organisations.”
Health officials say hospitals have been running out of fuel, food aid, and medicine, risking a halt to vital operations.
Gaza health ministry spokesperson Khalil Al-Deqran said medical staff have been depending on one meal a day and that hundreds of people flock to hospitals every day, suffering from fatigue and exhaustion.
In southern Gaza, the health ministry said an Israeli undercover unit had detained Marwan al-Hams, head of Gaza’s field hospitals, in a raid that killed a local journalist and wounded another outside a field medical facility run by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
An ICRC spokesperson said the ICRC had treated patients injured in the incident but did not comment further on their status. It said it was “very concerned about the safety and security” around the field hospital.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The incursion into Deir al-Balah and growing number of deaths appeared to be complicating efforts to secure a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt, with the United States’ backing.
A Hamas representative communicated to Reuters that the group’s frustration is growing over the increasing death rate and food scarcity, potentially impacting negotiations for a 60-day ceasefire and hostage exchange deal.
UNRWA, the UN refugee agency dedicated to Palestinians, said on X it was receiving desperate messages from Gaza warning of starvation, including from its own staff, as food prices have soared.
“Meanwhile, just outside Gaza, stockpiled in warehouses, UNRWA has enough food for the entire population for over three months. Lift the siege and let aid in safely and at scale,” it said.
Israel’s military said its troops had fired warning shots to remove what it said was “an immediate threat”. It said initial findings suggested reported casualty figures were inflated.
