The humanitarian crisis in the northern Gaza Strip escalated Saturday as Israeli shelling killed at least 20 people and trapped thousands more, prompting one of the area’s last functioning hospitals to issue a desperate appeal for help. The situation worsened on Saturday.
Israeli airstrikes hit the Jabaliya area in northern Gaza overnight and Saturday, even as Israeli forces press ahead with military operations in Lebanon, prompting residents in 23 additional towns to be warned to evacuate on Saturday.
The Israeli military also reported that about 320 projectiles were fired into Israel on Saturday by the militant group Hezbollah, which is at the center of attacks in Lebanon.
The United Nations says about 400,000 people remain in northern Gaza, many trapped in areas devastated by Israeli airstrikes, which the military says are targeting Hamas and other allied groups. .
Médecins Sans Frontières said in a statement late Friday that five of its staff were trapped in Jabaliya, one of whom said an airstrike on al-Yemen al-Sayed hospital killed “approximately 20 people.” . The Palestinian Ministry of Health said at least 49 people have been killed across Gaza since Friday and 219 injured people have arrived at hospitals in the enclave.
The Israeli military has issued an evacuation advisory for the area in recent days, but aid workers say the fighting has made it difficult to comply with the order.
“No one is allowed in or out,” Sarah Virsteke, project coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières, said in a statement from the group. “Anyone who tries will be shot.”
Jabaliya was once a large town bordered by a refugee camp densely packed with urban housing that shared its name. But since the war began last year following the Hamas-led Israeli attack on October 7, the area has been largely destroyed by ground fighting and repeated Israeli shelling.
The Israeli military issued an evacuation order for the area last week, and a new order was issued on Saturday morning. Avichai Adlai, the military’s Arabic-language spokesman, told the X show that the military is carrying out “strong military operations” against Hamas and other allied groups and “will continue to do so for a long time.” said.
“The designated area, including the shelter there, is considered a dangerous combat zone,” it added.
Jonathan Cricks, UNICEF spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority, called Israel’s evacuation order in northern Gaza “very concerning.” Because there are clear warnings that evacuation centers are unsafe, including places like Kamal Adwan Hospital.
On Saturday, the Gaza government media office announced that the hospital’s intensive care unit was facing a “catastrophic situation”.
“With fuel in short supply and hospitals in the north unable to receive fuel and overcrowded conditions, the coming hours will depend on the lives of many children in intensive care,” the news agency said. said.
Clicks said in an interview that he visited the hospital, which includes a pediatric intensive care unit and is one of the few remaining in the Gaza Strip, three weeks ago.
“I remember seeing a baby about 8 or 9 months old whose body had been hit by shrapnel,” he said. “I wonder what’s going on with that child right now. These evacuation orders put children who are already vulnerable and struggling for their lives at even greater risk.”
Israel regularly attacks the Gaza Strip, which it describes as a safe humanitarian zone, and buildings housing displaced people, including schools used as evacuation centres. The Israeli military has said the attacks target Hamas and other militant groups operating in the region, using civilians as human shields, which Hamas denies.
On Saturday, Israeli military spokesman Adlai also issued an evacuation warning for about two dozen towns in southern Lebanon, saying Israel would attack them as part of its war with the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
He accused Hezbollah of using ambulances to transport weapons and fighters and said Israel would attack ambulances if it appeared to be being used for that purpose.
“We call on medical teams to avoid interaction with Hezbollah members and not to cooperate with them,” Adlai said, adding that the Israeli military “will take the necessary measures against all vehicles transporting militants, regardless of type.” I will make sure it is taken,” he added.
Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on U.N. peacekeepers in recent days, destroying several facilities and wounding at least four peacekeepers, prompting widespread international criticism. The Israeli military claimed the incident was a result of negligence.
On Saturday, Israel asked the United Nations Forces in southern Lebanon, commonly known as UNIFIL, to withdraw from about 30 border points, about three miles from the border, UN Forces Spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said.
Teneti said UNIFIL refused to withdraw from the border, known in diplomatic circles as the Blue Line, because its mandate from the United Nations Security Council required it to remain in the region. He said there are approximately 2,000 UNIFIL personnel in the region.
In a statement, Médecins Sans Frontières called on Israel to protect civilians and hospitals in the Gaza Strip and “allow the urgent flow of desperately needed humanitarian supplies into the north.”
He added: “Due to the Israeli military’s forced evacuation of homes and bombing of neighborhoods, northern Gaza is turning into an uninhabitable ruin.”
WAFA, the official news agency of Hamas’ rival Palestinian Authority, said in a report on Saturday that Israeli airstrikes also caused casualties in the areas of al-Safatai and al-Tawam, near Jabaliya.
The news agency said the humanitarian situation in the region is “rapidly deteriorating” as military operations have blocked food, medicine and drinking water from entering the region.
Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting from Jerusalem.
