Israel intensifies operations on Gaza amid 'disputes' with Washington over Palestinian statehood

Israel intensified its military operations in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, an area experiencing a humanitarian crisis, amid a dispute between Israel and its ally, the United States, regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state. 

Witnesses reported that Israeli forces shelled southern Gaza, especially Khan Yunis (south), where the Israeli army claims the local leadership of the Hamas movement is hiding. 

Earlier on Friday, the Health Ministry affiliated with Hamas reported dozens killed in airstrikes on Gaza, including Khan Yunis, which has become the new focal point for ground combat and airstrikes. This shift occurred after the initial phase of the war concentrated in the northern part of the Strip. 

Enrico Vallaperta, a war medicine specialist who recently returned from a mission for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) (Doctors Without Borders), stated, "Today in Gaza, almost everything is destroyed, and what is not destroyed is overcrowded... The work is ongoing with the minimum amount of medicine to ensure it does not run out." 

AFP