GAZA STRIP: Explosions, air strikes and gunfire rattled northern Gaza on Saturday, the third day of an Israeli military attack that has uprooted tens of thousands of Palestinians and compounded what the UN called “unbearable” living conditions in the territory.
An AFP correspondent reported ongoing explosions from the Shujaiya area near Gaza City, with a resident saying bodies were visible on the streets.
Israel’s military on Saturday said its operations were continuing in Shujaiya where fighting “above and below the ground” left a “large number” of fighters dead.
A resurgence of fighting in the area comes months after Israel had declared the command structure of Hamas dismantled in northern Gaza.
Last Sunday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the “intense phase” of the war was winding down after almost nine months, but experts see a potentially prolonged next phase.
Israeli storms Gaza City neighbourhood, orders Palestinians to go south
The Gaza war has also led to soaring tensions on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, leading Iran on Saturday to warn of an “obliterating” war if Israel attacked Lebanon.
The war started with Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
The Palestinian group also seized hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza although the army says 42 are dead.
Israel’s offensive has killed at least 37,834 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. It reported at least 69 deaths over the previous 48 hours.
Fleeing empty-handed
Mohammed Harara, 30, said he and his family, young and old, felt as though they would become part of that toll.
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