Israeli forces advanced closer to Gaza City's most densely populated neighborhoods Tuesday, underscoring for Gazans that Western recognition of a Palestinian state offers no respite from the ongoing conflict as tanks neared residential areas.
Israel claims the moves will undermine the prospects of a peaceful ending to the war in the Palestinian enclave, much of it devastated by Israeli air strikes and a humanitarian crisis, including widespread hunger.
Local health authorities said Israeli fire Tuesday killed at least 22 people across the Gaza Strip, 18 of them in Gaza City and the Gaza Health Ministry said hospitals in the enclave would run out of fuel in the coming few days, endangering lives.
Explosions destroy Gaza homes, roads
"We are not steadfast, we are helpless. We don’t have money to leave for the south, and we don’t have guarantees that if we do, the Israelis will not bomb us, so we are staying," Huda, a mother of two from Gaza City, told Reuters via a chat app.
