Israel destroyed more than 200 residential apartment units in Gaza City in 72 hours
Gaza’s Civil Defence says five high-rise buildings, each with more than seven floors, have been bombed by the Israeli army over the past three days.
Together, they contained 209 apartment units, each sheltering at least 20 people during the state of emergency, meaning more than 4,100 Palestinians, many of them children, were left homeless.
More than 350 tents were also reportedly destroyed, each sheltering 10 people.
The rescue organisation said this means that several thousand people are “now living in the open, deprived of the most basic necessities of life, struggling against death, hunger, and unbearable heat in a catastrophic scene beyond description”.
“The world watches in silence, while Gaza City cries out for rescue before it’s too late. An urgent appeal to all humanitarian organisations and to the world: Act now to save the lives of thousands of innocent civilians.”
We’ve become completely trapped: Gaza City residents
Palestinians say Israel’s goal in the war on Gaza is “displacement” following more forced evacuation threats in Gaza City.
“The primary goal of the occupation is displacement… but there’s no place left, not in the south, nor the north, nothing,” said Bajees al-Khalidi, a displaced Palestinian. “We’ve become completely trapped. They either want to push us out of the Gaza Strip or move us to another place, but there’s nowhere left.”
Another displaced Palestinian and cancer patient, Umm Ghassan, called on the international community for help. “We received a message to evacuate Israa Tower. It’s located near a cancer treatment facility. At that moment, the fear among the women and children was immense,” she said. “We call on the international community – it’s enough. Nothing remains. Our homes have been destroyed.”
Palestinians demonstrate against Gaza City evacuation threats
A number of Palestinians organised a protest this morning to reject the Israeli evacuation threats. The footage below, verified by Al Jazeera, shows dozens of people participating in the demonstration.
Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said Palestinians at the demonstration stressed their refusal to leave their homes, holding banners reading “We will not leave” and “Not going out”.
It's a Facebook video, apparently blocked in Canada, typical Meta "Video Unavailable"
Most Gaza City residents refusing to leave: Gaza authorities
Gaza’s Government Media Office says more than 1.3 million people remain in Gaza City and areas north of the enclave’s most populous city as the Israeli army “attempts to carry out the crime of forced displacement in violation of all international laws”.
It said in a statement that some people who left Gaza City for al-Mawasi in the south were forced to return due to worsening living conditions in the south.
About 800,000 people live in the al-Mawasi areas of the Khan Younis and Rafah governorates, according to the office. Israel has designated it as a “safe zone” but, according to the Government Media Office, has attacked it at least 109 times, killing more than 2,000 people.
Gaza’s death toll rises to 64,605 people
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that 83 bodies and 223 wounded Palestinians were brought to hospitals across Gaza over the past 24 hours.
This brings the total casualty toll since the start of the war to 64,605 people killed and 163,319 wounded. That includes 14 aid seekers killed and 37 wounded over the past 24 hours, with 2,444 aid seekers killed and 17,831 injured in total.
Since breaking the ceasefire on March 18, Israel has killed at least 12,059 people and wounded 51,278 in Gaza.
