Overnight bombings on the Gaza Strip killed at least 55 Palestinians, according to the Hamas authority, as Israel announced an increase in operations.
“More than 55 martyrs,” the Israeli press office declared after the latest night of bombardment in response to Hamas strikes on Israel on October 7.
It went on to say that more than 30 homes had been demolished in the hours following the announcement by an Israeli military official that raids would be expanded.
The Hamas leadership stated that more than 4,300 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israeli raids since the war started in response to the worst attacks suffered by Israel, with 1,400 dead, also mainly civilians.
Israel has deployed tens of thousands of troops around Gaza for a widely predicted ground invasion. It says its daily raids have already killed many Hamas leaders and military commanders.
“From today, we are free to increase the strikes and minimise the danger,” an Israeli military spokesman said late Saturday. “We will increase the attacks, and therefore I called on Gaza City residents to continue moving south for their safety.”
Israel has repeatedly told the 1.1 million inhabitants in Gaza’s north to relocate south ahead of any ground operations.
Despite the entrance of 20 trucks into Palestinian territory on Saturday, the Hamas authorities lamented the paucity of aid. According to the report, the enclave now has 1.4 million displaced people.
“The aid that arrived in Gaza is not enough for one day. We call on the international community to pressure the Israeli government to bring in thousands of trucks,” said the statement.