The Israeli military has intensified its attacks on the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of at least 85 Palestinians, including aid seekers and families sheltering in schools. The relentless bombardment has also targeted a crowded hospital, sparking widespread condemnation. According to reports, 62 of the victims were in Gaza City and the north of the territory.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, described the attack as occurring in the heart of a displacement center near the Gaza seaport.
“This area serves as a refuge for many traumatized and displaced people, offering some relief from the oppressive heat of the tents,” he said. The Israeli navy struck a port in Gaza City, killing at least 21 people and wounding 30, many of whom were women and children.
The Israeli forces also targeted the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah, where thousands of families had sought shelter. Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from the scene, said the army did not issue “any warnings” before the “huge explosion”. “The site of the attack is about 10 meters [33ft] from our broadcast point.
This is not the first time the hospital’s courtyard has been attacked. At least 10 times, this facility has been squarely targeted by Israeli forces,” Abu Azzoum said. “It’s a staggering concentration of attacks on medical facilities, adding further burden on barely functioning hospitals.”
Gaza’s Government Media Office strongly condemned the attack, calling it a “systematic crime” against the Palestinian enclave’s health system. “Its warplanes bombed a tent for the displaced inside the walls of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, resulting in injuries at the site of the bombing, material damage, and directly threatening the lives of dozens of patients,” it said.
At least 15 aid seekers looking for food at aid distribution hubs run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) were killed by an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. Fifty people were also wounded in the attack, which is the latest in a wave of daily carnage at these sites that have killed nearly 600 Palestinians since GHF took over limited aid deliveries in Gaza in late May.
The Israeli military acknowledged that Palestinian civilians were harmed at the aid distribution centers, saying instructions had been issued to forces following “lessons learned” and firing incidents were under review.
According to the Haaretz report, troops were told to fire at crowds of Palestinians and use unnecessary lethal force against people who appeared to pose no threat.
The Israeli military has issued more forced evacuation threats to Palestinians in large districts in the northern Gaza Strip, raising fears of a new ground invasion. “Explosions never stopped; they bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes,” said Salah, a 60-year-old father of five children from Gaza City. “In the news, we hear a ceasefire is near. On the ground, we see death and we hear explosions.”
More than 80 percent of Gaza is now an Israeli-militarized zone or under forced displacement orders, according to the United Nations. Israeli officials, including Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, were due in Washington, DC for a new ceasefire push by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Key mediator Qatar has confirmed serious US intentions to push for a return to negotiations, but complications remain. The talks in the White House are also expected to cover Iran and possible wider regional diplomatic deals. Palestinian and Egyptian sources say mediators Qatar and Egypt have stepped up their contacts with the two sides, but no date has been set yet for a new round of truce talks.