Since dawn on Saturday, the Israeli occupation army has killed five Palestinians waiting for aid and wounded others in separate attacks on the Gaza Strip. A medical source reported that the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire near an aid distribution point in central Gaza has risen to five, amid reports of additional injuries.
A number of Palestinians were injured in a shelling that targeted an apartment building near the UNRWA food supply headquarters in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, the Israeli occupation army dropped leaflets warning Palestinians in large areas of Gaza City, most notably the western neighborhoods, including the southern neighborhoods of Rimal, Sheikh Ajlin, Tal al-Hawa, and Gaza Port, to evacuate to the southern part of the Strip via Rashid Street.
During the night, eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli occupation forces launched a series of intensive and concentrated raids (fire belts) northwest of Gaza City. The army also detonated three booby-trapped robots east of the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, north of Gaza City, and its vehicles opened fire east of the Al-Barakah area in the same neighborhood.
The occupation army launched a series of intensive air raids on the western and northwestern neighborhoods, targeting multi-story residential buildings, which led to the complete destruction of the "Abu Rasas" building and the bombing of the upper floors of Tower (5) in the Al-Karama complex. A house belonging to the "Abdul Latif" family on Aaidiya Street was destroyed, while residents of another house were informed of the necessity of evacuating it in preparation for its bombing.
These raids resulted in massive explosions that spread terror among displaced people living in tents on the city's beachfront and in its western neighborhoods, amid growing fears that the attacks will expand and target more residential buildings.
In the central Gaza Strip, Israeli artillery shelled scattered areas east of Deir al-Balah, and army vehicles opened heavy and indiscriminate fire.
This comes after the army launched an offensive on September 3, dubbed "Gideon 2," with the aim of completely occupying Gaza City. This operation sparked widespread criticism within Israel, fearing for the lives of prisoners and detained soldiers.
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Israeli security warning of the occupation of Gaza
In this context, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded a security meeting on Friday to discuss plans to occupy Gaza City. The authority quoted informed sources as saying that senior security officials warned that a large-scale attack on Gaza could lead to the deaths of some prisoners, but he nevertheless insisted on proceeding with the offensive with the goal of occupying the city next week.
Security officials emphasized that the operation would impose a difficult reality on Israel, including controlling hundreds of thousands of residents who will not leave the city, and the resulting food and basic necessities required, a task they doubt Israel can handle. Furthermore, the military operation will last much longer than the political echelon has announced.
This came as families of prisoners held in Gaza accused Netanyahu of obstructing a deal that would have led to the release of all detainees in the Strip. Criticisms mounted internally and externally after the Israeli government announced its intention to occupy the city, with opponents deeming it an ill-advised adventure that could put soldiers' lives at grave risk without achieving any clear political gains.
In a UN warning, Olga Cherevko, a spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that Israel had imposed a "death sentence" on Gaza City, noting that Palestinians were left with no choice but to leave the city or die.
During a press conference via video link from Deir al-Balah, she confirmed that hundreds of thousands of exhausted, tired, and terrified civilians were ordered to flee into a densely populated area. Cherevko said, "Gaza City has been sentenced to death: leave or die. Hundreds of thousands of exhausted, tired, and terrified civilians have been ordered to flee into a densely populated area, where even small animals are forced to search for space to move," referring to Israel's ultimatums to displace and occupy Gaza City.
Cherevko stressed the need to stop the horrific violence in Gaza, calling for urgent decisions to pave the way for a lasting peace before it's too late, saying, "We need voices to silence the bombs and actions to stop the bloodshed."
With US support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 64,756 Palestinians dead and 164,059 wounded, most of them children and women. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and a famine has claimed the lives of 413 Palestinians, including 143 children, as of Friday.
