Gaza hospital director reports more than 50 dead in Israeli strikes
Palestinians inspect the rubble of a home in Khan Younis destroyed by strikes. (AP: Abdel Kareem Hana )
In short:
The director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza said 58 people were killed by Israeli strikes on Friday night, local time.
The Israeli military says it has launched an expanded offensive to "achieve the objectives of the war".
Israel is facing pressure to lift a sweeping aid blockade it imposed on Gaza in early March.
More than 50 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza, according to Gaza hospital officials.
Marwan Al-Sultan, the director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, said 58 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Friday night, local time.
A number remain under the rubble, he added, noting the hospital's situation was "catastrophic".
More than 300 Gazans have been killed in Israeli strikes since Thursday, according to local health authorities.
The IDF says it has "begun conducting extensive strikes and mobilizing troops" in Gaza. (AP: Abdel Kareem Hana)
The strikes came as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced an expanded offensive to "achieve the objectives of the war".
"The IDF has begun conducting extensive strikes and mobilizing troops to achieve operational control in the areas of Gaza, over the past day," a statement of X read.
"This is part of preparations to expand operations and fulfill the objectives of the war — including the release of hostages and the dismantling of the Hamas terrorist organization.
"IDF troops will continue to operate in order to protect Israeli civilians and achieve the objectives of the war."
The escalation, which includes the build-up of armoured forces along the border, is part of the initial stages of "Operation Gideon's Wagons", which Israel says is aimed at defeating Hamas and rescuing its hostages.
Israel launched the operation amid pressure to lift a sweeping aid blockade it imposed on Gaza in early March as negotiations faltered over next steps in a ceasefire that collapsed weeks later.
Aid organisations have warned that the blockade has created critical shortages of everything from food and clean water to fuel and medicines.
Marwan Al-Sultan said the ceilings in the Indonesian Hospital were collapsing and cracks were visible in the walls.
"The operating rooms and intensive care units are completely full and we are unable to receive any more critical cases," he told AFP.
He added there was "a severe shortage of blood units, medicines, medical and therapeutic supplies, and surgical procedures".
Doctors had been forced to source blood for transfusions from other patients and even from themselves "due to the impossibility of donations from citizens due to malnutrition", he said.
The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel responded by launching a military campaign that has since killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
ABC/wires