Hospitals in the Gaza Strip received the remains of 51 Palestinians over the past 24 hours who were killed in Israeli strikes, the health officials in the enclave said on Sunday.
In recent weeks, multiple attacks have targeted shelters and what were once designated humanitarian zones where thousands of displaced people live in tents.
Since 18 March, when Israel ended a six-week ceasefire with Hamas, the Israeli military has carried out daily waves of strikes and ground forces have occupied more land to expand a buffer zone, controlling around 50% of the territory.
For nearly 60 days, Israel has also blocked the entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other items to Gaza.
Food supplies are dwindling
On Friday, the World Food Programme announced it had delivered its last food stocks to the 47 kitchens it supports. These could run out of meals to serve Palestinian families within days, it added.
Palestinians in Gaza are struggling to feed their families. A plate of rice and some tinned vegetables are often the only thing to feed entire families each day. Meat, milk, cheese and fruit have disappeared. Bread and eggs are scarce. The few vegetables or other items in the market have skyrocketed in price, unaffordable for most.
On Friday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said it delivered its last food stocks to the 47 kitchens it supports. These will likely run out of meals to serve within days, it added.
Rights groups call the blockade a “starvation tactic” endangering the entire population and a potential war crime.
WFP said more than 116,000 metric tonnes of food assistance — enough to feed a million people for up to four months — are ready and waiting to be brought into Gaza.
Israeli protesters demand ceasefire and hostage deal
Thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday demanding a ceasefire and a deal to return all the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, part of weekly organised anti-government protests.
Israeli authorities say the renewed offensive and tightened blockade are aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages abducted in its 7 October 2023 attack that triggered the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed, and all the hostages are returned.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining 59 hostages — 24 of whom are believed to be alive — in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as called for in the now-defunct ceasefire reached in January.
The militant group announced Saturday that it had sent a high-level delegation to Cairo to try and get a ceasefire, shattered last month by Israeli bombardment, back on track. It added that its delegation will discuss with Egyptian officials the group’s vision to end the war, which also includes reconstruction.