Gaza has been described as a “mass grave” for Palestinians and aid workers, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), as Israeli airstrikes continued to take a deadly toll on the enclave. MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza, Amande Bazerolle, said the situation is dire, with critical supplies running low and the population facing overwhelming displacement.
On Wednesday, medics reported that at least 13 people were killed in ongoing Israeli strikes. A strike on Gaza’s northern region killed 10, including prominent writer and photographer Fatema Hassouna, whose work had chronicled the suffering of Gaza’s residents. A separate attack further north claimed the lives of three others.
The Israeli military has yet to comment on the strikes.
In Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, residents said the Israeli military had demolished additional homes, further tightening its control in the area. Israeli officials stated that these measures were part of an expanded security operation aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages.
“Gaza has been turned into a mass grave of Palestinians and those coming to their assistance. We are witnessing in real time the destruction and forced displacement of the entire population,” said Bazerolle. “With nowhere safe for Palestinians or those trying to help them, the humanitarian response is severely struggling under the weight of insecurity and critical supply shortages, leaving people with few, if any, options for accessing care.”
Efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to restore the ceasefire and negotiate the release of hostages have stalled. Hamas insists that any ceasefire agreement must include an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war, while Israel holds firm that hostilities will only cease when Hamas is defeated.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reported severe shortages of essential medical supplies due to Israel’s suspension of fuel, food, and medical aid since March. The suspension has severely hampered the remaining hospitals, leaving hundreds of patients and wounded individuals without necessary medications.
Israel has defended its blockade as a measure to pressure Hamas, but the humanitarian community has condemned it as “collective punishment.”
Since resuming military operations in March after a brief period of calm, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health authorities. The offensive has displaced hundreds of thousands and resulted in widespread destruction across the region.
As the violence continues, 59 Israeli hostages remain in Hamas’s custody, with Israel believing that 24 of them are still alive. The war, which began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, has claimed over 51,000 Palestinian lives, according to local health authorities.