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Israeli strikes kill 146 Palestinians in Gaza, local authorities say

2025-05-17 13:38:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 146 Palestinians and wounded many more in fresh attacks on Gaza over the past 24 hours, local health authorities said on Saturday, as Israel appeared determined to press ahead with a new ground offensive.

The Israeli attacks, which began on Thursday, have brought one of the deadliest phases of bombing since the ceasefire collapsed in March.

The latest attacks came as US President Donald Trump wrapped up his Middle East tour on Friday without any visible 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.

Local health authorities said 459 people have been injured by Israeli attacks over the past 24 hours.

The Israeli military said on Saturday it was carrying out extensive attacks and mobilizing troops as part of preparations to expand operations in the Gaza Strip and achieve "operational control" in several areas of the Palestinian enclave.

Gaza's health system is nearly dysfunctional, with hospitals repeatedly hit by the Israeli military during the 19-month war and medical supplies running low as Israel tightened its blockade since March.

The escalation, which includes the massing of armored forces along the border, is part of the initial stages of 'Operation Gideon's Chariots', which Israel says aims to defeat Hamas - the Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the US and EU - and return its hostages.

An Israeli defense official said earlier this month that the operation would not begin before Trump finished his visit to the Middle East.

"We are gradually increasing forces; Hamas remains defiant," the army said on Saturday.

UN experts are warning that extreme hunger threatens Gaza after Israel blocked aid deliveries to the territory 76 days ago, while the UN aid chief, Tom Fletcher, asked the Security Council this week whether it would act to "prevent genocide".

Trump acknowledged on Friday the growing hunger crisis in Gaza and the need for aid, as international pressure on Israel grows to resume ceasefire talks and end the blockade of Gaza.

A US-backed foundation aims to begin distributing aid to Gazans by the end of May, using American security and logistics companies, but the UN has said it will not work with the foundation because it is not impartial, neutral or independent.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 5 that Israel is planning an expanded and intensive offensive against Hamas, after the security cabinet approved plans that could include taking control of the entire Gaza Strip and controlling aid.

On Friday, the Israeli military ordered Gaza residents to move south after heavy attacks on the northern town of Beit Lahia and the Jabalia refugee camp. Residents, however, said tanks were advancing toward the southern town of Khan Younis.

Israel's stated goal in Gaza is to eliminate the military and governance capabilities of Hamas, which attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

His military campaign has devastated the small, overpopulated enclave, displacing almost all of its 2 million residents from their homes and killing more than 53,000 people, according to health authorities in Gaza.

NBC News reported on Friday, citing five people with knowledge of the matter, that the Trump administration is working on a plan to permanently relocate up to one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya.

Palestinians, including Hamas and the rival authority of President Mahmoud Abbas, oppose any displacement of people outside their land./ REL