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Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed at least 70 people, according to medical sources cited by Al Jazeera, as indirect ceasefire negotiations continue in Qatar.
At least 50 people, including those in the Jabalia refugee camp, were killed in northern Gaza in attacks that began early Wednesday, medical sources reported. The Gaza Ministry of Health stated that around 50 people were killed in Jabalia and 10 others in Khan Younis in the south.
Rescue workers in Jabalia used hand tools and the light of cellphone cameras to recover the bodies of children trapped under collapsed concrete slabs.
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported from Deir el-Balah that Israel’s military campaign was increasingly targeting residential areas, aiming to force families to relocate to makeshift shelters, potentially facilitating further displacement from northern Gaza.
Meanwhile, an Israeli delegation is in Doha, holding indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas through mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. This comes a day after the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander during a brief pause in the bombing.
Despite the talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the military operation in Gaza would continue, regardless of any ceasefire deal.
Since October 2023, Israeli strikes have killed at least 52,908 people in Gaza, according to local health officials. The ongoing assault has devastated much of the region, displacing over 90% of the population, often repeatedly.
The military campaign was launched in response to a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed at least 1,139 people, based on Al Jazeera’s tally using Israeli data.
Macron Condemns Israeli Blockade
French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the Israeli blockade on Gaza, calling it “a disgrace” that has caused a severe humanitarian crisis. Speaking on TF1 national television, he criticized Netanyahu’s refusal to allow aid into Gaza, saying, “There’s no medicine. We can’t get the wounded out. Doctors can’t get in. What he’s doing is a disgrace.”
Macron, who visited wounded Palestinians in Egypt last month, urged the reopening of Gaza’s borders for humanitarian aid. He emphasized the need to demilitarize Hamas, release hostages, and work towards a political solution.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, nearly half a million Palestinians are at risk of starvation, while one million more are struggling to access adequate food. The blockade has been in place for over 10 weeks, preventing food, medicine, and other essential supplies from reaching Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, most of whom rely on aid for survival.
