Desk Report:
Gazans witnessed another bloody day in the nearly two-year-long invasion. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) continued their rampage across the Strip on Saturday. According to a report by Qatari media outlet Al Jazeera, at least 91 Palestinians were killed in Israel’s continued attacks across the Strip on Saturday. Of these, at least 45 were killed in Gaza City alone.
The Hamas-controlled government’s media office has called Israel’s strategy “deceptive.” Although it has promoted central and southern Gaza as a “humanitarian safe zone,” Israel has continued to bomb these areas in reality. According to the Gaza government, the IDF has carried out 133 attacks in central and southern Gaza alone since the forced displacement from Gaza City began on August 11. These attacks have killed about 2,000 people, which is about 46 percent of the total deaths during this period. They claim that this information proves that civilians are being directly targeted. They condemned the silence of the international community as a ‘green light for more genocide’.
Meanwhile, hospitals are closing one after another due to the continuous attacks. Heavy bombardment on Saturday morning forced the administration to evacuate 107 patients and the entire medical staff from the Jordan Field Hospital, one of the main medical centers in Gaza. Gaza’s hospitals have long been practically in ruins. The lack of basic medicines, including anesthesia and antibiotics, has made medical activities difficult. At the same time, the lack of food has also weakened doctors.
A few hospitals in central Gaza are partially operational. However, they are not able to accommodate such a large number of people. Many come in need of emergency treatment, but it is not possible to provide it. A displaced Palestinian told Al Jazeera, “The situation has become such that doctors are forced to sleep two patients in one bed.”
On the other hand, protests are also underway in the international arena demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. On Saturday, people took to the streets in cities including Berlin, Germany, and Liverpool, UK.
Trump told reporters on Friday that a deal for Gaza was “almost finalized.” He did not give any details or a timeline. Hamas, however, said it had not yet received a ceasefire plan. A Hamas official told Al Jazeera, “We have not received any proposals.”
Trump is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
