Israel’s ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip continues to claim the lives of Palestinian civilians, as the humanitarian situation spirals and political efforts to end the war remain deadlocked.
On Saturday, the Palestinian Civil Defence reported the killing of three civilians and the injury of several others in Israeli airstrikes targeting a home in Gaza City and a tent sheltering displaced persons in Khan Younis. This followed an Israeli airstrike the day before that killed ten members of a single family in southern Gaza, including children.
In a significant military development, the Israeli army announced that it had secured full control over the so-called “Morag Axis,” a land corridor separating Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Israeli forces from the 36th Division have reportedly “completely encircled the city of Rafah.” The Israeli army also confirmed two of its soldiers were injured in ongoing operations, one of them from the Golani Brigade in serious condition.
A senior Hamas source told AFP on Saturday that a high-level delegation is expected in Cairo for negotiations with Egyptian officials regarding a potential ceasefire. “We hope the meeting will achieve real progress toward an agreement to stop the war and ensure the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee on Gaza convened on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey to follow up on outcomes from the recent Arab League Summit in Cairo.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed that Egypt and Qatar continue to coordinate efforts to broker a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel. He reaffirmed Egypt’s categorical rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians under any pretext.
Amid the suffocating blockade imposed by Israel, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) issued a dire warning about the worsening humanitarian crisis. “Gaza is on the brink of famine,” said Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s Director of Communications. She noted that basic commodity prices have soared and that acute malnutrition is spreading rapidly among children and infants.
Touma added that humanitarian aid has been largely blocked since the second half of March, with access only possible during previous ceasefire periods. UN Special Coordinator Sigrid Kaag confirmed that over 60,000 children under the age of five in Gaza are suffering from malnutrition.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the death toll from Israeli attacks since 7 October 2023, has reached 50,933, with 116,045 wounded — including thousands of women and children. In the past 24 hours alone, 21 people were killed and 64 injured.
Despite growing international and domestic calls for a halt to hostilities, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Saturday that military operations will soon expand “to the greater part” of the Gaza Strip. He called on civilians to evacuate areas of ongoing fighting, signalling a likely escalation in coming days.
In response, Hamas reiterated its position in a statement: “The equation is clear — the release of captives in exchange for ending the war.” The group accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing a deal: “Every day of delay means more killing of unarmed civilians and further uncertainty for Israeli captives.”
Hamas further accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war for personal political survival. “The blood of Gaza’s children and Israeli captives is the price of Netanyahu’s ambitions to stay in power and escape prosecution,” the statement concluded.
