UN says Israel has stepped up Gaza City offensive with relentless airstrikes

Israel has stepped up its military operations in Gaza City over the last 24 hours, and is conducting airstrikes every eight to nine minutes on average in addition to shelling, chopper fire and gunfire toward those waiting for aid, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says during a briefing, citing humanitarian staff on the ground.

Roughly 16,500 people fled Gaza City yesterday alone, heeding evacuation orders that have been in place for weeks, while departing on journeys with unclear destinations, given the shrinking space and limited resources in Gaza for civilians, Dujarric says.

“Still, hundreds of thousands of people remain in Gaza City amid extreme insecurity. They are heavily reliant on humanitarian assistance as more critical services there have been forced to close or move,” the UN spokesperson says.

Only seven of 15 humanitarian missions were completed due to Israeli restrictions, according to Dujarric.

Teams were able to collect fuel, medical items, and other supplies from the Kerem Shalom Crossing, among other humanitarian missions, but were prevented from trucking water to northern Gaza and were not allowed to access other crossings, including to collect food, he says.