Israel's relentless offensive in the blockaded Gaza Strip continues under the pretext of eliminating Hamas and rescuing hostages. Israeli forces are intensifying their attacks daily, leading to an ever-increasing number of casualties.
No place remains safe for the residents of Gaza as they face both aerial and ground operations coupled with a halt in aid supplies, turning Gaza into what many describe as a living hell.
Overnight attacks by Israeli forces on the already devastated territory have killed an additional 81 people. This brings the total number of innocent Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israeli aggression over the past approximately 18 months to nearly 53,000, the majority of whom are women and children.
Al Jazeera reported this information on Wednesday (May 14).
According to the Qatar-based news outlet's report, at least 51 Palestinians lost their lives in extensive Israeli attacks in northern Gaza after midnight.
Furthermore, another 30 people were reportedly killed in an attack on a hospital in southern Gaza. Notably, the attacks in northern Gaza occurred just hours after the hospital strike in the south.
Al Jazeera states that Israeli forces have intensified their attacks in Gaza, with medical sources and health workers in northern Gaza reporting at least 51 Palestinians killed since midnight.
These attacks in the north followed by only a few hours Israeli airstrikes on the European and Nasser hospitals in southern Gaza, which killed at least 30 people. Among those killed in the hospital attacks was a journalist who had sought medical treatment.
Meanwhile, according to data from the Gaza Ministry of Health, 52,989 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's genocidal aggression since October 2023, with an additional 119,721 people injured.
Israel launched a large-scale offensive in Gaza on October 7, 2023, in response to an attack by Hamas. After 15 months of military operations, Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza on January 19, following pressure from the United States and the international community.
Relative peace prevailed in Gaza for about two months thereafter. However, disagreements with Hamas regarding the withdrawal of troops from Gaza led to the resumption of Israeli airstrikes in the third week of March.
According to the Ministry of Health, at least 2,861 Palestinians have been killed and another 8,000 injured in the renewed Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since March 18. This renewed aggression by Israel has shattered the ceasefire agreement that came into effect in January.
Egypt and Qatar are continuing their efforts to reinstate the ceasefire. However, neither Israel nor Hamas has retreated from their core demands. Both sides accuse each other of failing to reach an effective agreement.
On Monday (May 12), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that a negotiating team had been sent to Qatar to discuss a potential ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement. However, the very next day, Tuesday (May 13), Netanyahu declared that the two objectives of eliminating Hamas and freeing all Israeli hostages would proceed simultaneously. He stated that even if Hamas offered to release another ten hostages, Israel would not halt its military operations.
He also said that Israel would launch a full-scale operation in Gaza with full force in the coming days, adding that Israeli forces were already deployed there.
