Eighteen Palestinians, including children, were killed in intense Israeli shelling of various areas in the Gaza Strip since dawn on Thursday, according to medical sources quoted by the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The agency reported that five civilians, including children, were killed and others were injured in a bombing that targeted a house in the western camp area west of Khan Yunis.
A civilian was also killed and several others wounded in artillery shelling on the town of Khuza'a, east of the city, while another citizen was targeted by a drone in the al-Manara area, southeast of Khan Yunis, according to WAFA.
In the northern Gaza Strip, WAFA reported that two civilians were killed as a result of artillery shelling targeting farmers east of Beit Lahia, while an airstrike on al-Radhi' Street claimed the life of another citizen.
A citizen was also killed in a shelling targeting the Shuja'iyya neighborhood east of Gaza City, and another in a shelling west of the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip. A citizen was injured by drone fire near the Al-Bashir Mosque in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City.
In a related development, the government media office in Gaza warned that the Strip has entered an "advanced stage of famine" as a result of the Israeli blockade and the complete closure of crossings since March 2.
The office's director, Ismail al-Thawabta, said that the occupation is preventing the entry of food and humanitarian aid, which has led to a deterioration in the humanitarian situation, escalating to one of the "most horrific forms of systematic starvation" in modern times.
Al-Thawabta asserted that the occupation "bears full responsibility" for the humanitarian catastrophe, using food, medicine, and water as weapons against 2.4 million civilians, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. He pointed out that the continued closure of crossings, flour shortages, and the closure of bakeries threaten the entire food security system.
He called for immediate and effective international intervention to end the siege and ensure the unconditional entry of aid before the situation reaches a point of complete collapse.
In early March, the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel, which went into effect on January 19, concluded with Egyptian-Qatari mediation and US supervision.
While Hamas has adhered to the terms of the first phase, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, has reneged on the start of the second phase, in deference to extremists in his ruling coalition, according to Hebrew media.
Since March 18, Israel has resumed its genocidal crimes by launching violent, large-scale airstrikes, most of which targeted civilians in homes and tents housing displaced persons.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with full American support, has been committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, coupled with a stifling blockade that has plunged the Strip into unprecedented humanitarian conditions.
