Israel pushed tanks deeper into Gaza City and detonated explosives-laden vehicles in a suburban neighborhood, while airstrikes killed at least 19 people on Monday, according to Palestinian officials and witnesses.
The reports came at the same time as the president of the world's largest association of genocide scholars said the association had adopted a resolution determining that the legal criteria have been met to determine that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Israel did not immediately respond to either the offensive in Gaza City or the statement by the International Association of Genocide Scholars. Israel has previously denied that its actions in Gaza constitute genocide.
Israel is moving forward with a plan to take full control of the entire Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City, with the aim of destroying Hamas and rescuing the 48 hostages that remain after nearly two years of war.
Residents said Israeli forces sent old armored vehicles to the eastern parts of the crowded Sheikh Radwan neighborhood and then blew them up by remote control, destroying several homes and forcing more families to flee.
In leaflets distributed over Gaza City, the Israeli army told residents to immediately head south, warning that the offensive would expand westward.
"A night of terror, the explosions did not stop and the drones did not stop patrolling the area. Many people left their homes in fear for their lives, while others do not know where to go," 55-year-old Sheikh Radwan resident Mohammad Abu Abdallah told Reuters.
VICTIM AND HUNGER
The Israeli military said its forces were fighting Hamas throughout the enclave and over the past 24 hours had struck several military structures and bases used to attack Israeli troops.
The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 98 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours. Nine more people – including three children – also died from malnutrition and starvation, bringing the death toll from these causes to at least 348, including 127 children.
Israel has disputed the figures for starvation deaths published by Hamas-run health authorities, claiming the deaths were caused by other medical causes.
Local health authorities reported that 19 people, including women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on homes in Gaza City. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reports.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet on Sunday evening to discuss a new offensive to take Gaza City, which he has described as a Hamas stronghold.
However, the Israeli military has warned political leaders that the planned offensive in Gaza City could endanger hostages still being held by Hamas. Meanwhile, protests in Israel calling for an end to the war and the release of the hostages have increased in recent weeks.
The war began with a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, in southern Israel, in which an estimated 1,200 people – mostly civilians – were killed and 251 were taken hostage. Of the 48 hostages still remaining, only 20 are believed to be alive.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed over 63,000 people, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health authorities, and has plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis, leaving much of it in ruins.
Ceasefire talks ended in July without result, and efforts to revive them have so far failed.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo. Additional reporting by Steven Scheer in Jerusalem; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
