More than 80 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, most of them in Gaza City, local hospitals reported.
Women and children were among at least 20 who perished when a strike hit a building and tents sheltering displaced families near Firas market in Gaza City's central Daraj neighborhood overnight, according to first responders. The Israeli military stated the strikes targeted two Hamas fighters, disputing the casualty figures.
Israeli tanks and troops continued to advance into the city, which the military claims is Hamas's last significant stronghold, with operations aimed at securing the release of hostages held by Hamas and ensuring its “decisive defeat.”
Hundreds of thousands of residents have fled Gaza’s urban areas, where a famine was recently confirmed, with worsening conditions reported by humanitarian organizations.
In a related discussion, US special envoy Steve Witkoff mentioned President Donald Trump's 21-point peace plan for the Middle East, introduced to Arab leaders during the UN General Assembly, expressing optimism for possible breakthroughs in negotiations.
On Wednesday afternoon, hospitals in Gaza City reported receiving over 60 casualties since midnight. The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency indicated that a considerable portion of these fatalities resulted from the Israeli strike on a warehouse sheltering displaced individuals near Firas market, highlighting the intense humanitarian toll of the conflict.
International journalists are facing significant barriers to independently verify these reports due to restrictions on entering Gaza, complicating the verification of the information provided by local authorities.
As the conflict escalates, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) maintain that their operations are primarily focused on identifying and neutralizing Hamas threats, with claims that the scale of civilian casualties does not align with their intelligence.
General Eyal Zamir of the IDF emphasized the military’s strategy to strike the heart of Gaza City, urging residents to rise against Hamas for their safety, while Hamas warned that intensified operations risk endangering the hostages.
The United Nations has criticized Israeli tactics in the ongoing conflict, indicating that the targeting of civilian infrastructure and the increase in civilian fatalities point towards a long-term humanitarian disaster in Gaza.
This offensive is a continuation of actions taken in response to the October 7 attack on southern Israel, which led to significant casualties and hostages being taken, following which the region's stability and humanitarian situation have sharply declined.
