By CIC International Affairs.
TENSION RISE AS ISRAEL TANKS ENTER GAZA’S DEIR AL-BALAH.
Israeli tanks entered Deir Al-Balah for the first time on Monday, raising alarm among families of hostages believed to be held in the area. The military targeted parts of southern and eastern Deir Al-Balah after ordering residents to evacuate a day earlier.
According to Gaza medics, tank shelling hit eight houses and three mosques, killing at least three Palestinians and injuring several others. This sudden escalation forced dozens of families to flee westward toward the coastal zones and nearby Khan Younis.
Earlier the same day, an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis killed five people, including a man, his wife, and their two children who were sheltering in a tent. There was no official Israeli response regarding these casualties. However, the Israeli military stated it had previously avoided entering certain Deir Al-Balah areas due to the possibility that Hamas was holding hostages there. Officials estimate that at least 20 out of 50 remaining hostages in Gaza are still alive.
Families of those hostages have voiced growing concern about the safety of their loved ones. They are now demanding answers from the military about how hostages will be protected amid increasing military action.
Meanwhile, humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue to worsen, with health authorities warning of “mass deaths” due to rising hunger. Since Saturday, hunger has already claimed 19 lives, while hospitals are running low on food, fuel, and medicine.
Medical workers in Gaza report surviving on just one meal per day as hundreds of people crowd hospitals daily, weakened by hunger. At the same time, Israeli troops reportedly fired warning shots toward thousands of people in northern Gaza waiting for UN aid trucks.
According to health officials, at least 67 people were killed on Sunday while trying to receive humanitarian assistance. Israel claimed the casualty numbers were likely exaggerated and denied deliberately targeting aid convoys.
Ceasefire talks have been affected as violence and civilian deaths continue to rise. Hamas, angered by the hunger crisis and growing fatalities, warned this could hinder ongoing negotiations in Qatar.
The talks, mediated by Egypt and the U.S., aim to secure a 60-day truce and a hostage exchange deal, but no progress has been reported so far. UNRWA said it has food stockpiled just outside Gaza to feed the population for three months and urged Israel to lift the blockade and allow aid to enter safely and in large amounts.
CIC PRESS TEAM