KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Over one million individuals have fled their homes in the besieged Gaza Strip in the past week, anticipating an Israeli invasion aimed at eliminating Hamas’ leadership after their deadly attack. The enclave is facing diminishing food and water supplies, and hospitals are warning of imminent collapse.
Supported by an increasing deployment of U.S. warships in the region and the call-up of approximately 360,000 reservists, Israeli forces have positioned themselves along Gaza’s border and conducted drills in preparation for a widespread campaign to dismantle the militant group. Dozens of military targets, including command centers and rocket launchers, have already been struck by Israel, resulting in the killing of Hamas commanders.
Concerns have been raised by aid groups regarding a potential humanitarian crisis in the coastal Gaza enclave, as Israeli officials have not provided a timeline for a ground incursion.
Blistering airstrikes over the course of a week have devastated entire neighborhoods in Gaza, but have failed to halt militant rocket fire into Israel.
Since the outbreak of the conflict, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that 2,670 Palestinians have been killed and 9,600 injured, surpassing the casualties of the 2014 Gaza war. This makes it the deadliest of the five Gaza wars for both sides.
Israelis have suffered over 1,400 deaths, mostly civilians killed in Hamas’ October 7 assault. Hamas has also captured at least 155 others, including children, taking them into Gaza. It is the deadliest war for Israel since the 1973 conflict with Egypt and Syria.
Approximately 500,000 people, a quarter of Gaza’s population, have sought refuge in United Nations schools and other facilities across the territory. Water supplies are rapidly depleting, prompting Juliette Touma, spokesperson for the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee agency, to declare that “Gaza is running dry.” The agency estimates that one million people have been displaced within Gaza in just one week.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to Israel after concluding a tour of Arab nations, with the aim of preventing the fighting from escalating into a wider regional conflict. President Joe Biden is also considering a visit to Israel. In a recent television interview, Biden cautioned against reoccupying Gaza, despite his proclaimed support for Israel.
In addition to the conflict in Gaza, fighting along Israel’s border with Lebanon has intensified with Hezbollah militants firing rockets and an anti-tank missile, and Israel responding with airstrikes and shelling. At least one person has been killed on the Israeli side, and several casualties have been reported on both sides of the border.
An Israeli drone launched two missiles toward a hill in south Lebanon, near a Lebanese army center. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing rockets at an Israeli military position in retaliation for Israeli shelling that resulted in the death of a Reuters videographer and two Lebanese civilians. Hezbollah stated that the increased strikes serve as a “warning” and do not indicate their intention to enter the war.
With the situation in Gaza becoming increasingly dire, the U.S. has appointed David Satterfield, a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey with expertise in Middle East diplomacy, as special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues. The focus will be on delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
Hospitals in Gaza are expected to run out of generator fuel within two days, posing a threat to the lives of thousands of patients. Gaza’s sole power plant has shut down due to a lack of fuel after Israel completely sealed off the territory following the Hamas attack.
The situation at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis is critical, with intensive care rooms overcrowded with wounded patients, notably children under the age of 3. Fuel is anticipated to run out by Monday, putting the lives of these patients in grave danger. Similarly, Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza has chosen not to evacuate despite Israeli orders, as doing so would result in the death of newborns in the ICU and other patients under their care.
The World Health Organization has stated that some patients in the north were able to be moved, but the majority cannot be evacuated.
Shifa hospital in Gaza City, the largest hospital in the region, has announced plans to bury 100 bodies in a mass grave as a result of its morgue overflowing. Tens of thousands seeking safety have gathered in the hospital compound.
Gaza was already enduring a humanitarian crisis due to shortages of water and medical supplies brought on by the Israeli siege. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, describes the unfolding situation as an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.”
Israeli officials have informed U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan that the water has been turned back on in southern Gaza. Israel’s minister of energy and water, Israel Katz, stated that water has been restored at a specific location, outside of Khan Younis. However, aid workers on the ground in Gaza have yet to witness evidence of water restoration.
Israel has ordered over one million Palestinians, nearly half of the population in Gaza, to move south, claiming it is necessary to clear civilians ahead of a major campaign against Hamas in the north. The military has presented evidence of a Hamas roadblock preventing traffic from moving south, while Hamas has urged people to stay in their homes.
Despite efforts to broker a deal to reopen the Rafah crossing with Gaza, which would enable Americans, foreigners, and humanitarian aid to enter and exit, the crossing remains closed. The siege imposed by Israel will only be lifted once the captives are returned.
Reported from Baghdad by Kullab and from Jerusalem by Nessman. Julia Frankel and Amy Teibel in Jerusalem, Abby Sewell in Beirut, and Samy Magdy in Cairo also contributed to this report.
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