At least 43 people have been killed in Gaza within a span of 24 hours as Israel escalates its offensive in the occupied enclave, officials reported on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet have reportedly approved the full-scale expansion of the Gaza operation. Netanyahu, before the plan’s approval, vowed that Israel would achieve a “complete victory” in Gaza and that the military operation would be concluded “decisively.”
On Monday, reports confirmed that the Israeli war cabinet had sanctioned the ground offensive in Gaza, although the plan is expected to be delayed until US President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates from May 13 to 16. The plan, according to Israeli sources, includes “international organisations and private security contractors handing out boxes of food to individual families in Gaza.”
The Israeli forces, as per the cabinet’s plan, would cover operations for these aid-giving agencies, which have faced multiple deadly attacks by Israeli forces in previous offensives. The United Nations, along with other humanitarian organisations, condemned the “dangerous” Israeli plan, which proposes “driving civilians into militarised zones to collect rations.”
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Meanwhile, a severe starvation crisis is engulfing Gaza, as the blockade imposed by Israel continues to halt aid supplies. Dozens of people, including children, have died as a result of hunger. The situation is rapidly worsening, with food and vital supplies running out. In response, Israel is calling up 60,000 more reservists to intensify its military actions.
Further intensifying the conflict, the Houthis, an armed group from Yemen, launched ballistic missiles at Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday. The Houthis declared that their attacks on the Israeli airstrip would continue as part of their opposition to Israel’s “aggressive” war on Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the ongoing war has resulted in the deaths of at least 52,535 Palestinians and left 118,491 wounded. The Government Media Office later updated the death toll to more than 61,700, with thousands still missing under the rubble, presumed dead.
Israel’s war against Gaza has intensified since the October 7 Hamas-led attacks, which killed 1,139 people in Israel and took more than 200 captives.
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