Al Jazeera has reported that hospitals in Gaza recorded 11 deaths from hunger and malnutrition in the past 24 hours.
This brings the total number of fatalities from these causes to 212, including 98 children.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that, in the same 24-hour period, at least 39 people were killed and 491 others injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza. Among the dead, 21 were waiting to receive food aid.
Since the war began in October 2023, Israel has killed at least 61,369 people in Gaza.
With no clear prospect of ending this bloody conflict, Israel’s cabinet has decided to expand military operations in the Gaza Strip and capture Gaza City — a move sharply criticized by the international community.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said on Friday:
“The Israeli army is preparing to seize Gaza City, while ensuring humanitarian aid reaches civilians outside combat zones.”
Despite international pressure, opposition from the Israeli military, and domestic concerns about hostage safety, Benjamin Netanyahu insists on taking full control of the besieged territory.
Details of the plan remain unclear, but the Prime Minister’s Office stated that “an overwhelming majority of cabinet ministers believed the alternative proposal would neither defeat Hamas nor free the hostages.”
Speaking to Fox News shortly before the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said that Tel Aviv’s goal is to remove Hamas from Gaza. He added that, afterwards, the territory would be administered by a civilian government “neither Hamas nor anyone seeking Israel’s destruction.”
