Daijiworld Media Network – Gaza

Gaza, May 20: At least 60 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Tuesday, according to Palestinian health officials, as Israel intensified its renewed offensive in the war-torn territory.

The strikes come as Israel continues its campaign to dismantle Hamas and secure the release of hostages still held since the October 2023 attacks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday allowed a limited number of aid trucks into Gaza for the first time in nearly two and a half months, amid growing international pressure over the worsening humanitarian crisis.

However, UN agencies said the small volume of aid was grossly inadequate. Before the blockade, approximately 600 trucks a day had entered Gaza during a temporary ceasefire earlier this year. The aid shortage has raised fears of widespread famine among the territory’s two million residents.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, two strikes in northern Gaza hit a family home and a school-turned-shelter, killing 22 people, including many women and children. In central Gaza, 13 people were killed in Deir al-Balah and 15 in the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp. In the southern city of Khan Younis, two more strikes claimed 10 lives.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which maintains that it targets only militants. It blames Hamas for civilian casualties due to its operations within densely populated civilian areas.

The war, which began after Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and abducted 251 others last year, has seen a devastating toll on Gaza. Over 53,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The war has also displaced nearly 90% of Gaza's population, many of them multiple times. An estimated 58 hostages remain in Hamas custody, with only a third believed to still be alive.