JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s airforce killed at least 58 Palestinians in new attacks on Gaza overnight, local health authorities said on Saturday, as the country appeared set to press ahead with a new ground offensive.
More than 300 Gazans have been killed in Israeli strikes since Thursday, according to local health authorities, one of the deadliest phases of bombardment since a truce collapsed in March. The latest strikes came after U.S. President Donald Trump ended his Middle East tour on Friday with no apparent progress towards a new ceasefire.
“Since midnight, we have received 58 martyrs, while a large number of victims remain under the rubble. The situation inside the hospital is catastrophic,” said the director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, Marwan Al-Sultan.
Israel’s military said on Saturday it is conducting extensive strikes and mobilizing troops as part of preparations to expand operations in the Gaza Strip and achieve “operational control” in areas of the Palestinian enclave.
The escalation, which includes the build-up of armoured forces along the border, is part of the initial stages of “Operation Gideon’s Wagons”, which Israel says is aimed at defeating Hamas and getting its hostages back.
An Israeli defence official said earlier this month that the operation would not be launched before Trump concluded his visit to the Middle East.
United Nations experts warn that famine looms in Gaza after Israel blocked aid deliveries to the strip 76 days ago, with UN aid chief Tom Fletcher asking the Security Council this week if it would act to “prevent genocide”.
Trump on Friday acknowledged Gaza’s growing hunger crisis and the need for aid deliveries, as international pressure grows on Israel to resume ceasefire talks and end its blockade of Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 5 that Israel was planning an expanded, intensive offensive against Hamas as his security cabinet approved plans that could involve seizing the entire Gaza Strip and controlling aid.
Israel’s declared goal in Gaza is the elimination of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas, which attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and seizing about 250 hostages.
Its military campaign has devastated the tiny, crowded enclave, pushing nearly all inhabitants from their homes and killing more than 53,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities.
(Reporting by Maytaal Angel; Editing by Susan Fenton)
