deir al balah

Gaza witnessed a historic moment as Palestinians engaged in their first local elections in over two decades, marking a tentative step toward reconciling the fragmented political landscape between Gaza and the West Bank. Though hampered by Israeli-imposed restrictions, officials creatively utilised whatever materials they could muster to ensure the elections went ahead.

Israeli tanks entered Deir al-Balah in Gaza amid a hostage search, resulting in casualties and damage to UN facilities. Airstrikes in Khan Younis killed civilians, exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation with shortages of food and medicine. Ceasefire negotiations are threatened as the conflict intensifies, drawing international criticism over aid access and civilian deaths.

An Israeli airstrike on a school in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, killed at least 30 Palestinians, including 15 children and eight women. Over 100 people were injured. Israel claimed the attack targeted militants using the compound. The Israeli military also instructed the evacuation of Khan Younis for a forceful operation against militant groups, resulting in 14 more deaths.

Children from displaced families enjoy a short break on a Gaza beach during the truce between Israel and Hamas. The parents, however, cannot forget the hardships of war and homelessness. Asmaa al-Sultan, a displaced woman, sits on the sand with her mother who is quietly crying. More than 30 members of the al-Sultan family are sheltering in a U.N. school in Deir Al-Balah. The gruelling conditions in the tent camps and schools, with overcrowding and a dearth of facilities, have been compounded by the psychological impact of bombardment and displacement.

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza resulted in the deaths of 19 people, including six children and their mother. The attack occurred in Deir Al-Balah, and resulted in increased diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit aims to mediate talks between Israel and Hamas amid heightened tensions and deteriorating conditions in Gaza.

Three young brothers in Gaza City, sought refuge with their aunt in Deir al-Balah due to food shortages. They survived on animal feed loaves, consuming bird and donkey food made from grains and seeds. Aid deliveries have been scarce in northern Gaza, exacerbating the food shortages. Warda, a displaced mother, struggled to find milk for her two-month-old baby.

At least 30 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on a school in central Gaza. The Israeli military claimed the school was a Hamas command center. Over 100 people were injured. Additional attacks in Gaza killed others, with calls for civilian evacuation and continued clashes reported. The ongoing conflict has led to significant casualties on both sides.

An Israeli airstrike struck a school in northern Gaza, resulting in at least 11 deaths and 22 injuries, including women and children. The Israeli military claimed it targeted Hamas militants inside the school. The ongoing conflict has displaced over 1.9 million Palestinians, forcing many to seek refuge in schools amid continued attacks.

Israeli fire in Gaza City killed Palestinians seeking aid. Chaos ensued at distributions. Conflict originated from Hamas attack. Global pressure increases for maritime aid deliveries and U.S. military intervention.

The Israeli military intensified its offensive in Gaza City, dropping leaflets urging residents to evacuate to safe areas. Hamas warns that these actions jeopardize ongoing ceasefire talks. Following the October 7 attack by Hamas, resulting in 1,195 Israeli deaths, Israel has increased military operations. The conflict has claimed over 38,243 lives in Gaza, mostly civilians.

Recent Israeli strikes across Gaza have resulted in at least 60 fatalities, according to Palestinian health officials, amid a renewed offensive aimed at rescuing hostages and dismantling Hamas. While Israel has permitted limited aid trucks into Gaza, UN agencies emphasize that the supplies are insufficient to address the widespread needs of the affected population.

An overnight Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip killed five Palestinian journalists outside Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp. The journalists were from Quds News Network. Israel claims to target only militants, though frequent strikes result in civilian casualties including women and children.

At least 25 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on two schools near Gaza City. An earlier strike on a hospital compound killed five. The Israeli military targeted a militant, citing secondary explosions. Escalating regional tensions include the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr. Diplomatic efforts have not halted the violence.

Iman al-Masry, a mother from northern Gaza, gave birth to quadruplets in a hospital in southern Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. She fled her home with her other children to seek safety and walked to the Jabalia refugee camp. Now, she lives in a shelter in Deir al-Balah with her extended family. One of her newborns, Mohammed, was left behind at a hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp. The Gaza conflict has displaced 1.9 million Palestinians and has caused a dire shortage of basic necessities.

On foot or riding donkey carts loaded with belongings, a stream of people flowed into Deir al-Balah — a town that normally has a population of around 75,000. It has been overwhelmed by several hundred thousand people driven from northern Gaza as the region was pounded to rubble. Because UN shelters are packed many times over capacity, the new arrivals set up tents on sidewalks for the cold winter night. Most crowded onto streets around the town’s main hospital, Al-Aqsa Martyrs, hoping it would be safer from Israeli strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a strong military response after about ten rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip, marking the largest attack since the offensive resumed. At least 32 people, including women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes. The military also evacuated several neighborhoods in response.

Israeli aircraft struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip early Sunday after a rocket from the Palestinian enclave hit the Jewish state, the army said.

Palestinian health officials reported the first polio case in the Gaza Strip in years, found in an unvaccinated 10-month-old child in Deir al-Balah. The virus was detected in wastewater in two major cities last month. The humanitarian crisis and lack of cease-fire have hampered vaccination efforts, with WHO planning a massive vaccination campaign by the end of August.

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari announced a forthcoming strike on Gaza City and urged residents to relocate to the southern Gaza Strip, citing Hamas's alleged use of civilians as shields, as Israel prepares for a potential ground offensive amid ongoing conflict.

Israeli forces intensified their offensive in the Gaza Strip on Monday, resulting in the deaths of at least 31 people, including women and children, according to health officials. The strikes targeted areas on the outskirts of Gaza City and the Jabaliya refugee camp, where residents reported the use of explosive-laden robots to demolish buildings.

The director of the Health Ministry in Gaza, under Hamas rule, said that it has resumed detailed counting of casualties from the Israel-Hamas war, documenting over 13,000 deaths. The count halted on November 11 due to communication breakdown in northern Gaza. The latest figures are from southern hospitals and November 11 data from the north. An additional 6,000 people are reported missing, feared buried under rubble. The actual toll is likely higher.

A premature baby squirms inside a glass incubator in the neonatal ward of al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip. His life hinges on the constant flow of electricity, which is in danger of running out imminently unless the hospital can get more fuel for its generators. Once the generators stop, hospital director Iyad Abu Zahar fears that the babies in the ward, unable to breathe on their own, will perish. Doctors treating premature babies across Gaza are grappling with similar fears. At least 130 premature babies are at “grave risk” across six neonatal units, aid workers said.

More than 20 rockets fired by Hamas at southern and central Israel were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system. Sirens were heard in Ashdod, Sderot, Rehovot, Ness Ziona, Holon, Lod, and Modiin. No injuries have been reported. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) asked residents in central Gaza to leave due to ongoing operations against Hamas. IDF located and destroyed three terror tunnel shafts near Rantisi Hospital, connecting to Gaza City. The operation revealed an extensive underground network passing under the hospital.