Rising civilian toll, military escalation, and political controversies fuel global outrage as the war intensifies.
The Israeli military’s ongoing ground offensive in Gaza City has left hundreds of thousands of Palestinians trapped under dire conditions, as heavy bombardments and street battles rage on. At least 79 Palestinians were reported killed across the Gaza Strip in the latest wave of attacks, with dozens among the casualties in Gaza City itself.
According to Al Jazeera’s correspondent Hani Mahmoud, Israeli forces are applying “extreme pressure” to push residents from northern Gaza toward already overcrowded shelters in the central and southern regions. The forced displacement comes as aid shortages worsen and humanitarian concerns mount.
In a dramatic turn, a senior Hamas official revealed he narrowly survived Israeli missile strikes in Qatar, underscoring Israel’s continued attempts to target Hamas leadership beyond Gaza’s borders.
Meanwhile, controversy has deepened over remarks by Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who referred to Gaza as a potential real estate “bonanza.” He also claimed to be in active discussions with the United States about how the territory could be divided, remarks that drew sharp international criticism.
Since the war began in October 2023, at least 65,141 Palestinians have been killed and 165,925 wounded, with thousands more feared buried beneath the rubble. Israel’s casualty figures from the October 7 attacks stand at 1,139 dead, with about 200 captives taken.
As the war drags on, the humanitarian toll in Gaza City remains staggering, and the political fallout continues to reverberate across the region and beyond.