Israeli strikes killed at least 40 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Friday, mainly in Gaza City, according to local health officials. Despite repeated evacuation orders from the Israeli military, many residents refuse to leave their homes, lacking safe shelter.
The bombings hit several residential buildings, some of which housed Palestinians already displaced by the fighting. Images showed columns of smoke rising over the city as civilians tried to flee the targeted areas.
Israel claims to have stepped up its military operations against Hamas, while announcing the expansion of humanitarian aid. The Israeli army claims to have tripled the number of trucks allowed into the enclave, a statement greeted with skepticism by many NGOs who believe that the aid remains largely insufficient.
The UN has again condemned the Israeli evacuation orders, saying they place civilians in an impossible situation and calling for an immediate ceasefire. The international organization stressed that forced displacement, combined with ongoing strikes, is exacerbating an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
This violence is part of a regional escalation that extends beyond Gaza's borders, with growing tensions in Yemen and Lebanon. It underscores the urgency of a political settlement, which the international community is still struggling to impose in the face of the stalemate in the conflict.
