Israeli forces have killed at least 820 Palestinians in a 22-day siege of northern Gaza, the Gaza government media office said on Saturday.
Israel has prevented the entry of aid into the area and launched a renewed assault, in what appears to be an attempt to kill, starve or forcibly expel Palestinians from their homes and shelters.
“The Israeli army has killed over 820 Palestinians within the span of just over three weeks in northern Gaza,” said Ismail Thawabta, director of the media office.
“Dozens of bodies lie in the streets and inside destroyed homes, as countless Palestinians remain trapped in an area under relentless bombardment,” he added.
Israel has ordered Palestinians in the north to head south to ‘safe zones’, however witnesses have reported being shot at by Israeli snipers and drones when trying to do this.
Hospitals have also come under attack, with the army bombing and storming the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia on Friday.
The Israeli army struck the facility’s oxygen station, disrupting supply to the hospital’s many wounded patients, as well as newborn babies.
Israeli soldiers forced patients and medical staff into the hospital’s courtyard on Friday and detained several people from the facility early on Saturday.
They also shot at patients and staff inside, killing two children.
Thawabta said services are collapsing amid the Israeli siege.
“The health situation in northern Gaza is dire, with civilians cut off from essential care and facilities, while aid workers are prevented from reaching the injured,” he said.
Israel has been accused of attempting to ethnically cleanse northern Gaza as part of the ‘General’s Plan‘ – a strategy forwarded by a group of Israeli reservists in September calling for the displacement of civilians for the north.
The plan also stipulates that any person who remains in the area after expulsion orders will be considered a combatant.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly denied that the plan was being implemented in talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, but sidestepped the US official’s call for the plan to be publicly denounced.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 42,924 people and wounded more than 100,000 since October 2023.
Efforts to broker a ceasefire broke down in August, with mediators attempting to resume the talks in recent days.
