GAZA STRIP: Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that Israeli attacks killed at least 22 people on Saturday.
The agency warned that intensifying strikes on Gaza City’s Zeitun neighbourhood are putting remaining residents in grave danger.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal described rapidly deteriorating conditions in Zeitun.
He said residents have little to no access to food and water under heavy bombardment.
An estimated 50,000 people remain in that part of Gaza City, most without basic necessities.
Media restrictions in Gaza make independent verification of casualty figures difficult.
Recent days have seen increased air strikes targeting residential areas, including Zeitun.
Hamas earlier condemned what it called “aggressive” Israeli ground incursions.
Bassal accused Israel of carrying out “ethnic cleansing” in Zeitun.
Israeli officials have previously rejected such claims, insisting they follow international law.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet recently approved plans to seize Gaza City.
The area, one of Gaza’s most densely populated, has suffered over 22 months of war.
On Friday, the Israeli military confirmed its troops were operating in Zeitun.
Ghassan Kashko, sheltering with his family in a school, said they “don’t know the taste of sleep.”
He described continuous explosions from air strikes and tank shelling.
Israel’s war expansion plans have drawn international condemnation and domestic opposition.
UN experts warn of spreading famine as Israel restricts humanitarian aid.
The civil defence said 13 of Saturday’s victims were shot while waiting for food aid.
The conflict began with Hamas’s October 2023 attack, killing 1,219 in Israel.
Israel’s offensive has claimed over 61,000 Palestinian lives, per Gaza’s health ministry- AFP
