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More than 90 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza over the past 48 hours as Israel intensifies its military operations, The Associated Press reported on Saturday, quoting Gaza’s Health Ministry. The latest wave of strikes, according to Palestinian officials and medical staff, has targetted areas including humanitarian zones, leaving women and children among the dead, the report said.
At least 15 people were reported killed overnight, with several casualties in designated humanitarian areas where displaced civilians had sought refuge. Hospital staff confirmed the victims included women and children.
The southern city of Khan Younis was particularly hard hit, with 11 deaths reported, many of them in the Mwasi area, which has been labelled a humanitarian zone by Israel. A hospital worker told AP that some of the dead were found inside a tent where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living.
Four others were killed in separate airstrikes on Rafah city, including a mother and her daughter, according to the European Hospital, which received the bodies.
Israel has vowed to increase pressure on Hamas, aiming to secure the release of hostages and dismantle the group’s infrastructure. As part of this effort, Israeli forces have declared plans to occupy large “security zones” inside the Gaza Strip.
For six weeks, Gaza has been under a strict blockade imposed by Israel, which, observers say, has severely limited the entry of food, fuel, and other essential goods. Meanwhile, the United Nations and aid organizations have warned of a growing humanitarian catastrophe.
According to the UN, most residents are surviving on one meal a day, and thousands of children are now malnourished. This week, Dr. Hanan Balkhy, the head of the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean office, appealed directly to the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, urging him to help facilitate humanitarian access.
“I would wish for him to go in and see the situation firsthand,” Dr. Balkhy had said, according to AP.
Ambassador Huckabee made his first public appearance on Friday with a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, a sacred site for Jewish worshippers. He placed a prayer into the wall, which, he said, was handwritten by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The conflict renewed on October 7, 2023, when Hamas members launched an attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducting 251 others. While many hostages have since been released through negotiated ceasefires and exchanges, dozens remain in captivity.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, over 51,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. Vast portions of the enclave have been reduced to rubble, and about 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, with many now living in tents or among the ruins of destroyed building, it said.
