On Friday, Israel leveled a district in northern Gaza, providing families with just a half-hour warning to evacuate. They also struck an Orthodox Christian church where people had sought shelter, signaling an impending ground invasion of Gaza.
Palestinian officials report over 3,785 Palestinians killed, including more than 1,500 children. The UN states that over a million people have been displaced.
Desperately needed international aid is piling up near Gaza, as the region faces severe shortages of food and water due to continuous Israeli airstrikes. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after an attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7. In response, Israeli warplanes have flattened entire city blocks in Gaza in preparation for the expected ground invasion.
The United Nations reports that more than one million out of Gaza’s 2.4 million people have been displaced, and the humanitarian situation is deteriorating. However, there has been no approval to send the aid trucks waiting at the border.
Both sides continue to blame each other for deadly strikes, with the latest incident occurring at a church compound in Gaza. The Gazan interior ministry attributed the casualties to an Israeli strike, while the Israeli army said they targeted a “command and control center belonging to a Hamas terrorist” and acknowledged damage to the church wall. The incident is under review.
