Hamas has appealed to the United Nations and the wider international community to intervene as Israeli forces intensify their assault on Gaza, leaving what residents describe as scenes of “apocalypse.”
Health officials in Gaza reported at least 73 deaths on Wednesday, including 43 people killed in Gaza City alone. Homes, schools, and shelters where families had taken refuge were reduced to rubble. “My brother was killed in his own room with his wife and children — they erased them all,” said Sabreen al-Mabhuh, who was displaced by the fighting.
Local authorities say Israel has used more than 100 explosive-packed robots in Gaza City in recent weeks, destroying entire neighborhoods. Since August 13, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the city.
Hunger crisis deepens
The humanitarian situation is worsening by the day. Gaza’s Health Ministry said six more people, including children, died from hunger and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, pushing the famine-related death toll to 367. UNICEF has warned that over 132,000 children under five are at risk of dying from acute malnutrition by mid-2026 if aid continues to be blocked.
Aid agencies say famine has already taken hold in northern Gaza and is spreading south, leaving families with little access to food or clean water.
Ceasefire deadlock
Hamas reiterated it is ready to agree to a full ceasefire and exchange prisoners with Israel. But Israel has dismissed the offer, saying the war will not end until its conditions are met — including the release of hostages and the disarmament of Hamas. Hamas insists disarmament is off the table unless a Palestinian state is formally recognized.
Qatar, which has been mediating, said Israel has yet to respond to a ceasefire proposal Hamas accepted last month.
Meanwhile, the UN reported that more than 82,000 people were newly displaced between August 14 and 31, and warned up to a million could be forced from their homes if Israel’s offensive to capture Gaza City continues.
A worsening tragedy
Despite growing global calls for a truce, the violence shows no sign of ending. Families continue to flee south, carrying what little they can, while aid groups warn of famine and disease. For Gaza’s 2.3 million residents — many already displaced multiple times — survival is now a daily struggle under bombardment and blockade.
