According to Palestinian officials, Israeli forces have destroyed at least 30 more residential buildings in Gaza City, displacing thousands of residents. This escalation comes as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the region on Sunday for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Al Jazeera reported that at least 48 more Palestinians were killed since Sunday dawn due to artillery shelling, gunfire, and naval bombardment by Israeli forces in Gaza City. Israel has already announced its plan to seize the city, which has been sheltering over a million Palestinians, and has intensified attacks on what it calls Hamas’s last bastion.
Displacement and Worsening Famine The Israeli army issued a new forced evacuation order for a building in Gaza City, stating on X that the military “will attack the building soon” due to the presence of Hamas infrastructure inside or adjacent to it. Israeli soldiers have been leveling high-rise buildings in the northern city since beginning a major offensive to occupy it.
Gaza’s health ministry reported on Sunday that two more Palestinians died from malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll from such causes to at least 422 people, including 145 children. Israel had blocked all food from entering Gaza for many months before allowing in some aid, despite a United Nations-declared famine and warnings that far more was needed.
While thousands have left Gaza City, most Palestinians are reluctant to go, citing a lack of space and safety in the south, which Israel had designated a “humanitarian zone.” Residents say Israel has repeatedly struck these so-called safe zones. In a post on X, UNRWA stated that Sunday’s bombardment of Gaza City has been “constant,” adding that there is “no safe place” in the besieged enclave. Many Palestinians say they cannot afford to leave, while others have pinned their hopes on the Doha summit to pressure Israel to call off its planned offensive.
14,000 Structures Destroyed in a Month Hamas has reported that since August 11, Israeli forces have destroyed at least 1,600 residential buildings and 13,000 tents.
In one of the latest incidents, Israeli forces stormed Al-Khader Girls Elementary School in Jerusalem’s Old City, assaulting the mayor, Ahmad Salah, the head of the Parents Council, and a municipality member, Issam Naim, according to the Wafa news agency. Mahmoud Abdullah, the head of the Parents Council, said soldiers beat him, Salah, and Naim with rifle butts and their hands, causing bruises. He added that the troops threatened to “close all seven schools” in the complex, which has been repeatedly targeted by Israeli forces.
Since October 2023, at least 64,871 people have been killed and 164,610 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza, with millions displaced.
