Israel kills scores across Gaza as extremist minister Smotrich pushes for annexation

Israel’s attacks across Gaza, including on so called humanitarian ‘safe zones’ it had previously declared, killed at least 30 Palestinians since the early morning on Friday, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres said the Israeli army’s move to occupy Gaza City signals “a new dangerous phase”.

The continued bombardment has escalated in Gaza City and the north of the Strip, n recent days, with explosions sounding constantly. The strikes targeted densely populated displacement shelters, killing dozens of people, including children.

Gaza City has seen unprecedented bombing since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his plan to occupy the Gaza Strip, starting with the city.

The Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza in particular has seen heavy assaults in recent days, directly targeting civilians who are unable to flee the area.

On Thursday, Israeli forces killed 61 Palestinians across Gaza, including 19 people who were desperately trying to get hold of aid.

Also on Thursday, extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the annexation of Gaza if Hamas refuses to disarm.

He also called for Israel to cut off all water, electricity and food to Gaza, which Hamas said was “an explicit admission of the occupation’s policy of genocide and efforts to exterminate Palestinians”.

“Smotrich’s statements represent a declared call to continue the occupation army’s crimes in Gaza until our people are annihilated and displaced. They also represent an official admission of the use of starvation and siege against innocent civilians as a weapon, which constitutes a war crime,” a statement from Hamas added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that “Israel’s initial steps to militarily take over Gaza City signal a new and dangerous phase”.

“Hundreds of thousands of civilians, already exhausted and traumatised, would be forced to flee yet again, plunging families into even deeper peril,” he continued, urging for a ceasefire.

Earlier this week, two Israeli airstrikes hit the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, killing twenty people including five journalists and drawing condemnation from the UN.

“These attacks are part of an endless catalogue of horrors,” Guterres said, highlighting that Gaza is now “piled with rubble, piled with bodies and piled with examples of what may be serious violations of international law”.

The UN chief confirmed that UN efforts to alleviate and address the catastrophic situation in Gaza are “being blocked, delayed, denied”.

Ghassan Abu Sitta denied entry to Gaza

British-Palestinian reconstructive surgeon Ghassan Abu Sitta also said on Thursday that he was denied entry into Gaza by Israel, which he noted was his second refusal over the past few months.

Condemnation of Israel’s war on Gaza is growing around the world, with Italy and Saudi Arabia recently issuing statements denouncing the forced displacement of Palestinians.

“I am overwhelmed with grief. The idea that I will not be able to go to the one place on this planet where I felt at home. All because some European settlers want to erase my memory,” he wrote on X, adding that he was set to join a medical team and support colleagues in the Strip.

In a joint statement on Thursday from the Saudi foreign minister and his Italian counterpart, both countries said they reject the displacement of Palestinians “under any pretext” and called for unhindered aid to be allowed into Gaza.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed over 62,966 Palestinians since October 2023 and wounded over 159,266 others in the same time frame. The war has been determined to be a genocide by leading rights groups, including Amnesty International.