Israeli Forces Push Deeper Into Gaza City As Thousands Flee Amid Fierce Strikes

Israeli troops and tanks pushed further into Gaza City on Wednesday, marking the second day of a ground offensive that has drawn widespread international condemnation. As forces advanced, Palestinians fled the heavily bombarded area by the thousands, many on foot or in vehicles, amid reports of collapsing communications and severe humanitarian strain.

The Israeli military reported over 150 airstrikes and artillery barrages in recent days, targeting high-rise buildings it claims are used by Hamas for surveillance. These strikes have razed structures in densely packed neighbourhoods, including tent camps sheltering displaced families. Overnight attacks killed at least 16 people, including women and children, pushing the overall death toll in Gaza to nearly 65,000 since the conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, with a Hamas-led assault on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to enclave health officials.

Casualties mounted in famine-ravaged areas: In Gaza City's Shati refugee camp, a child and his mother perished in their apartment, per Shifa Hospital staff. Strikes in Nuseirat camp killed three, including a pregnant woman, while in the Muwasi area near Khan Younis, two parents and their child died in a tent hit by munitions, Nasser Hospital reported. Tuesday night's attacks also damaged Rantisi Children's Hospital, forcing half of its 80 patients to evacuate; 40 remained, including intensive care children and premature infants, tended by 30 staff. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry shared images of rubble-strewn halls. Israel is investigating but has previously accused Hamas of embedding military sites in civilian zones. Northern Gaza's internet and phone networks collapsed Wednesday due to strikes on infrastructure, isolating residents; the Israeli military opened a two-day southern evacuation corridor at noon.

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Aid organisations and Qatar sharply criticised the operation. A coalition of over 20 groups, including the Norwegian Refugee Council and Save the Children, demanded global intervention, citing a UN commission's recent genocide finding against Israel, which it rejects. "What we are witnessing... is a genocide," their statement read, urging political, economic, and legal action. Qatar's Foreign Ministry decried the offensive as a "war of genocide" extension, incensed by a prior strike killing six Hamas figures. Pre-offensive warnings displaced an estimated 350,000 of Gaza City's 1 million residents southward, per Israeli figures; the UN tallies over 238,000 fleeing northern Gaza in the past month, though hundreds of thousands remain amid vows of full Israeli control.

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