Gaza civil defence says Israeli fire kills 39 Palestinians
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli attacks killed at least 39 people on Saturday, warning that intensifying strikes on a Gaza City neighbourhood were placing its remaining residents in mortal danger.
The latest toll comes more than a week after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to capture the Palestinian territory's largest city, following 22 months of war that have created dire humanitarian conditions.
Gaza conditions rapidly deteriorating
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said conditions in Gaza City's Zeitun neighbourhood were rapidly deteriorating, with residents having little to no access to food and water amid heavy Israeli bombardment.
He said that about 50,000 people were estimated to be in that area of Gaza City, 'the majority of whom are without food or water' and lacking 'the basic necessities of life'.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swaths of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.
ALSO READ: Israel kills five Al Jazeera journalists in airstrike in Gaza [VIDEO]
In recent days, Gaza City residents have told AFP of more frequent air strikes targeting residential areas, including Zeitun, while earlier this week, militant group Hamas denounced 'aggressive' Israeli ground incursions.
To Bassal, Israel was carrying out 'ethnic cleansing' in Zeitun.
Israeli officials have dismissed similar accusations before, and the military insists it abides by international law.
The military is 'committed to mitigating civilian harm during operational activity, in strict accordance with international law,' it said in a statement, questioning the reliability of the death tolls provided by the civil defence agency.
Expanded operations
Earlier this month, the Israeli government approved plans to seize Gaza City and neighbouring camps, some of the most densely populated parts of the territory.
On Friday, the Israeli military said its troops were operating in Zeitun.
Ghassan Kashko, 40, who shelters with his family at a school building in the neighbourhood, said: 'We don't know the taste of sleep.'
He said air strikes and tank shelling were causing 'explosions… that don't stop'.
Later Saturday, Hamas said in a statement that Israeli forces had been carrying out a 'sustained offensive in the eastern and southern neighbourhoods of Gaza City, particularly in Zeitun'.
The group said the military was targeting the area with warplanes, artillery and drones.
COGAT — the Israeli defence ministry body responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories — said that, starting from Sunday, the military would supply more tents and shelter equipment ahead of the offensive.
'As part of the preparations to move the population from combat zones to the southern Gaza Strip for their protection, the supply of tents and shelter equipment to Gaza will resume,' it said in a statement.
The Israeli plan to expand the war has sparked an international outcry as well as domestic opposition.
ALSO READ: Israel plan to control Gaza City risks 'another calamity': senior UN official
Warnings of widespread famine
UN-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in the territory, where Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of humanitarian aid it allows in.
According to the civil defence agency, at least 13 of the Palestinians killed on Saturday were shot by troops as they were waiting to collect food aid near distribution sites in the north and in the south.
The war was triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel's offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza which the United Nations considers reliable.
READ NEXT: Germany suspends arms exports to Israel for use in Gaza
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Melania Trump's letter to Putin: A plea for peace in the name of children
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet during a US-Russia summit on Ukraine at Joint Base in Alaska. Image: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP US President Donald Trump handed Vladimir Putin a special item at their Alaska summit: a letter written by his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, pleading for the Russian leader to make peace in the name of children. The first lady's office on Saturday reposted a Fox News article on X containing the short letter, a day after Trump and Putin failed to find a breakthrough at their high-stakes meeting. Putin read the "peace letter" immediately after Trump handed it to him, while delegations from both sides looked on, according to Fox News. Letter from Melania Trump to Putin. Image: Twitter / @Flotus Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading "In today's world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them," read the letter, which was signed by the first lady and did not mention Ukraine by name. "Mr Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter," it added. "In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone -- you serve humanity itself." "Such a bold idea transcends all human division, and you, Mr Putin, are fit to implement this vision with a stroke of the pen today," the letter read. "It is time." In July, the US president had said that his wife, who was born in Slovenia, had helped change his thinking about Putin. "I go home, I tell the first lady, 'you know, I spoke to Vladimir today, we had a wonderful conversation,'" Trump said. "And she said, 'Oh really? Another city was just hit.'" Trump attempted a rapprochement with Putin shortly after starting his second term, having campaigned on a pledge to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours. During the early months of his new term, he largely directed anger at Ukraine for the lack of a deal, but gradually began expressing frustration that Putin continued his attacks on Ukraine. Before the summit in Alaska, Trump had warned of "severe consequences" if Russia did not accept a ceasefire. However, after meeting with Putin, Trump dropped his demand for a ceasefire, saying the best way to end the war "is to go directly to a peace agreement." Putin has long argued for negotiations on a final peace deal, a strategy that Ukraine and its European allies have criticised as a way to buy time and press Russia's battlefield advances.
eNCA
2 hours ago
- eNCA
Louisiana sues Roblox game platform over child safety
AFP/File | Lionel BONAVENTURE LOUISIANA - The US state of Louisiana has filed a lawsuit accusing Roblox of facilitating the exploitation of children, prompting the online game platform to reject the claim as "untrue" on Friday. A lawsuit filed by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill contends that Silicon Valley-based Roblox facilitates distribution of child sexual abuse material and the exploitation of minors. "Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety," Murrill maintained in a release. The lawsuit charges Roblox with "knowingly and intentionally" failing to implement basic safety controls to protect children. Nearly 82 million people use Roblox daily, with more than half of them being younger than 18 years of age, according to the suit. "Any assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is simply untrue," the company said Friday in a posted response to the filing. "No system is perfect and bad actors adapt to evade detection," the company added, stressing that it works "continuously" to promote a safe online environment on the platform. The Roblox online gaming and creation platform was founded in 2004 and allows users to play, create and share virtual experiences. Roblox is one of the most popular online platforms for children, "offering a vibrant world of interactive games, imaginative play, and creative self-expression," according to the nonprofit Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI). A FOSI guide available at its website "walks parents through the basics of Roblox, the ways children commonly engage with it, and how to use built-in features like content filters, chat settings, and screen time controls" for safety. Roblox announced major safety upgrades late last year, introducing remote parental controls and restricting communication features for users under 13.
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
The Killing of Journalists in Gaza: Israel's War on the Soul of Humanity
Al-Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif reports near the Arab Ahli (Baptist) Hospital in Gaza City on October 10, 2024. The Israeli military acknowledged in a statement targeting correspondent Anas al-Sharif, accusing him of being a "terrorist" affiliated with Hamas. Image: AFP Jamal Kanj After sealing Gaza off from international reporters and blocking the world's eyes from its genocide, Israel has moved to the next phase of its blackout strategy: hunting down Palestinian journalists inside Gaza. The goal is obvious: silence the last independent witnesses so that the genocide and starvation of an entire people proceed unseen, unrecorded, and unchecked by the global community. The latest murder of two of Gaza's most prominent TV correspondents, Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, as well as four other reporters, in a tent housing journalists outside a Gaza hospital. This brings the number of Palestinian media workers killed by Israel to more than 230, the highest number killed in any world conflict. This is not just in Gaza; let us not forget Israel's cold-blooded murder of American-Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May 2022 in the West Bank. Then, as now, Israel followed the same familiar playbook pattern: lie, deny, and distort the truth, before claiming, months later, that Abu Akleh was 'accidentally' killed by a sniper's bullet. Israel bars international journalists from covering its atrocities, and when local reporters defy the blackout, silencing them becomes a calculated item on its 'to-do list': erasing truth-tellers and blinding the world. By this, Israel sends a clear message with every murder to those still breathing: report the truth, and you will join them. Political Zionism, from its inception, has perfected the art of pairing the crime with the lie. After murdering a journalist, all it needs to say is: he was Hama. No evidence is needed, no investigation is demanded. Israel fabricates evidence, if any, and then Western media, unquestionably, market the lie. For example, the headlines for Reuters were: 'Israel kills Al Jazeera journalist it says was Hamas leader.' Instead of highlighting the documented Israeli death threats against the journalist or the fact that Al-Sharif's father was murdered by Israel in December 2023, Reuters, NBC, BBC, and others chose to privilege the unverified Israeli narrative. This is not unique; Western media almost always treat Israeli statements with a nuance of credibility they deny non-Western ones. Consider Benjamin Netanyahu, a proven habitual liar, not by his enemies but by his close allies. He claims Israel wants to 'liberate' Gaza from Hamas and relocate civilians to so-called 'safe areas.' Despite his proven record of deceit, Netanyahu's false assertions are well covered and repeated uncritically by Western media outlets. Contrast this with the treatment of Russia's claims that its war in Ukraine is to 'liberate' the country from neo-Nazis. Those claims are met with great skepticism, fact-checks, and ridicule. Why does the same media grant Israeli lies a pass? Is it because of bias in favor of Israel, or an anti-Russian bias? Either way, it is hypocrisy, and it eats on the very principles that journalism is supposed to uphold. Just over a year ago, an Israeli drone strike murdered Al-Sharif's colleague, Mohamed El Ghoul, along with his coworker inside a marked press car. Israel made the same claim then: a Hamas member to kosher its murders. If Russia did this to reporters in Ukraine, the outrage would never end. But when Israel kills journalists, the story is framed, softened, or buried. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ This is how Israel's decades-long dehumanization of Palestinians works: demonize them, diminish their suffering until their deaths generate less outrage than the injury of a dog. I wrote recently about a viral story of a dog in Gaza whose plight drew more global sympathy than the Palestinian who saved it. That was not a fluke; it was the 'logical response' for people who were also victims of a propaganda that dehumanizes Palestinians. Israel could not succeed in this without help. Embedded by dual citizen Israelis and Western Zionist voices in the international media, along with those terrified by the 'antisemitism' smear, act as marketeers of Israeli hasbara. They parrot Netanyahu's denial of mass starvation, even when hundreds of U.N. and humanitarian agencies say otherwise. Western outlets would never have extended that courtesy, say, to Myanmar's generals or Sudan's warlords, denying starvation in those countries. But the lie of a European Israeli, of Polish descent, carries more weight in their newsrooms than the truth of the nonwhite victims. Arab media are hardly immune. Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya have both handed Netanyahu and Israeli spokespersons airtime to lie without challenge. In the name of 'balance,' they become conduits for a propaganda that justifies starving children. The idea of presenting 'both sides' is meaningless when one side is using the platform to propagate lies. There is no balance between lies and truths. When a journalist is killed, their archives, contacts, and testimony are buried with them. When survivors are too afraid to speak, official lies become the only record. Israel understands this perfectly. It has turned the killing of journalists into a weapon of war, knowing that without witnesses, there is no record, and without documents, justice fails. Allowing Israel to normalize the killing of journalists is not only a betrayal of the truth. It is an intellectual rape of the supposed mission of journalism. The press cannot claim to be the guardians of free expression while accepting that a state may execute reporters and normalize the silencing of Palestinian journalists. The blood of Gaza's journalists is blood on the face of journalists everywhere. Targeting journalists is not just about silencing the present; it is about rewriting the narrative of the past and monopolizing the future. If there are no witnesses, there are no crimes. That is the darkness Israel is building; a darkness that will swallow not only Gaza, but the soul of humanity. * Jamal Kanj is the author of 'Children of Catastrophe,' Journey from a Palestinian Refugee Camp to America. This article was originally published at ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.
