Israeli military operations in Gaza overnight resulted in the deaths of at least 19 Palestinians, according to medics on Saturday. Meanwhile, forces have intensified their advance into the Jabalia region, where international relief organizations report that thousands of individuals are trapped.

Local residents indicated that Israeli forces have been relentlessly targeting Jabalia, the largest of the enclave’s historic refugee camps located in the northern part of Gaza, through both aerial and ground assaults.

While there has been no recent official statement from Israeli authorities, the military previously announced that operations in Jabalia and surrounding areas had led to the elimination of numerous militants, the discovery of weapon caches, and the dismantling of military infrastructure. This operation commenced a week ago, with the military stating its objective was to combat Hamas militants conducting attacks and to hinder their ability to regroup. Palestinian health officials estimate that approximately 150 individuals have lost their lives in Jabalia over the past week.

On Friday, Israeli airstrikes targeted four residences in Jabalia, resulting in approximately 20 fatalities and numerous injuries, according to medical sources. The Israeli military has deployed troops to the adjacent towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, as well as Jabalia, instructing residents to evacuate to safer locations in the southern part of the enclave.

Palestinian and United Nations representatives have stated that there are no genuinely safe areas within Gaza. They have expressed alarm over critical shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies in northern Gaza, warning of a potential famine in the region.

The Ministry of Health has indicated that Israel’s threats to forcibly evacuate three operational hospitals pose a significant risk to the safety of both patients and healthcare personnel. Since the onset of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, aimed at dismantling the militant group Hamas, over 42,000 Palestinians have reportedly lost their lives, as per the Gaza health ministry, leading to widespread devastation across the enclave.

The conflict erupted following a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, targeting southern Israeli communities, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and approximately 250 individuals taken hostage, according to Israeli reports.

On Saturday, Hamas issued a statement claiming that Israel’s “massacre of civilians” was intended to penalize the inhabitants of Jabalia for their unwillingness to evacuate their homes. The group also interpreted this as evidence of Israel’s military inability to overcome them. Israel has refuted allegations that it intentionally targets civilians.

Meanwhile, the military branches of Hamas, along with Islamic Jihad and other smaller factions, reported that their fighters engaged Israeli forces in Jabalia and surrounding regions using anti-tank rockets and mortar fire.

POLIO VACCINATIONS

On Friday, United Nations officials indicated that the ongoing Israeli military actions and evacuation directives in northern Gaza could potentially disrupt the second phase of the polio vaccination initiative scheduled to commence next week.

The health ministry of the territory announced on Saturday that the campaign is set to begin on Monday in central areas of the Gaza Strip, lasting for three days before extending to other regions.

Aid organizations conducted an initial round of vaccinations last month following a case of partial paralysis in a baby caused by the type 2 poliovirus in August, marking the first occurrence of such a case in the territory in 25 years.

Similar to the first phase, planned humanitarian pauses in the conflict are intended to facilitate the vaccination of hundreds of thousands of children.