The Israeli occupation army has intensified its ground operations in the Gaza Strip, launching a new offensive in the eastern Gaza City neighbourhood of Shuja’iyya. The move coincides with intensified aerial and artillery bombardments across the enclave, worsening already dire humanitarian conditions amid widespread shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.
Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades—the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)—stated on Telegram that “half of the live enemy captives are currently in areas that the Israeli army has recently ordered to evacuate.” He added that Hamas had chosen not to relocate the captives despite “extremely high risks to their lives,” placing full responsibility for their safety on the Israeli government and urging immediate negotiations to secure their evacuation or release.
In a separate development, The New York Times reported on Saturday that it had reviewed a video retrieved from the phone of a medic killed by Israeli forces in Rafah on 23 March. Citing a senior UN diplomat, the footage appears to show direct targeting of ambulances and rescue workers—contradicting Israel’s account of the incident.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that 60 people were killed and 162 wounded in the past 24 hours. Since March 18, the death toll has reached 1,309 with 3,184 injured. The cumulative toll since the conflict began on 7 October 2023, now stands at 50,669 fatalities and more than 115,000 injured.
As ceasefire negotiations continue, Israel’s public broadcaster reported that Egypt has proposed a new framework to narrow the gap between Israeli and Hamas positions. The plan reportedly includes a ceasefire agreement coupled with a prisoner exchange deal.
Separately, Axios reported that White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit the region this week. He is scheduled to meet Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Abu Dhabi and may also travel to Doha or Cairo to push forward negotiations on a potential hostage agreement.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said around 1.9 million people—many of them children—have been forcibly displaced in Gaza since the conflict erupted. The agency described the humanitarian situation as “catastrophic,” with civilians under constant bombardment and no access to safe humanitarian corridors.
