Israel has said it will eradicate Hamas following the militant group’s rampage in southern Israel on Oct 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and 253 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
The war, now in its seventh month, has killed over 34,000 Palestinians, and many more are feared buried in rubble. The offensive has laid to waste much of the enclave, displacing most of its 2.3 million people and creating a humanitarian crisis.
In the past 24 hours, Israeli strikes have killed at least 79 Palestinians and wounded 86, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
Two people were killed in a strike on a house in Rafah, four were killed when a missile hit a group standing outside a supermarket in the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp and one was killed in a strike on a house in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, Palestinian health officials said.
Residents in northern Gaza and suburbs of Gaza City reported heavy shelling.
“We don’t know why this is all happening. Is it because we returned home and we finally got some aid through after months of starvation and the Israelis didn’t like that?” said Mohammad Jamal, 29, a resident of Gaza City, near Zeitoun, one of Gaza’s oldest suburbs.
“It is as if the war started again. As if it is just happening, they burnt up the place,” he told Reuters via a chat app.
Asked about Wednesday’s developments, the Israeli military had no immediate comment.
