Dhaka, Apr 7 (UNB)-Israel has intensified its bombardment of Gaza, striking a tent sheltering journalists near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, leaving at least two people dead and injuring seven others.
This latest escalation follows a deadly offensive in which Israeli forces reportedly killed over 50 people and instructed residents in five neighborhoods of central Deir el-Balah to evacuate.
Families of Israeli captives protest outside Netanyahu’s residence
Relatives and supporters of Israelis held captive in Gaza gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in West Jerusalem, urging for an agreement to bring the captives home.
Demonstrators held up pictures of the 59 hostages still believed to be in Gaza.
The protest took place shortly before Netanyahu’s scheduled meeting with Trump at the White House.
Varda Ben Baruch, whose grandson Edan Alexander is among the captives, appealed to both leaders for immediate action.
“You are in the United States and you should sit there with President Trump and finish a deal for everyone to get home. We are expecting this,” she said.
Israeli authorities estimate that 24 of those still held in Gaza are alive.
Israel’s war on Gaza is ‘worst ever conflict for reporters’
The strike in Khan Younis, which claimed the lives of two individuals including a journalist, comes shortly after the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs labeled Israel’s war on Gaza the deadliest ever for media personnel.
According to the US-based research organization’s report released on April 1, at least 232 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7, 2023.
This averages out to 13 journalist deaths per week.
The toll exceeds journalist casualties in both world wars, the Vietnam War, the Balkan conflicts, and the US invasion of Afghanistan combined.
Since the report’s release, at least two more journalists have died: Helmi al-Faqawi, killed today, and Islam Maqdad, who died yesterday along with her husband and child.
Families in Gaza ‘scavenging for basics every single day’
Sam Rose, acting director of UNRWA in Gaza, has warned of an alarming hunger crisis affecting Palestinians, exacerbated by over a month of complete blockade imposed by Israel.
Speaking to Al Jazeera after returning to the UK following a 16-month stay in Gaza, Rose described the worsening conditions.
“There are massive increases in malnourishment amongst children. People are scavenging around for the basics every single day and are facing sustained periods without enough food,” he said.
“Whether they are in a condition of famine or on the verge of famine, quite frankly, it doesn’t matter. They are in absolutely desperate conditions and they can do nothing about it,” he said.
Infants are especially at risk, he added, emphasizing the lasting impact of undernutrition during the early years.
“Their organs will begin to fail, their skin will start to shrivel, and they will die. And this is what we have been seeing in Gaza over the past 16 months,” he said.
Source: Al Jazeera