** Israeli forces have initiated a coordinated air and ground assault on Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, according to BBC reports. The operation commenced in the early hours of Tuesday, shortly after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued evacuation warnings for residents across six residential blocks in the city’s southwest. The area shelters thousands displaced from southern Gaza’s Rafah and Khan Younis.
Local journalists confirmed to the BBC that Israeli tanks and armored vehicles advanced into the city from the Kisufim checkpoint under cover of heavy artillery and fighter jets. Dozens of shells reportedly struck the Abu al-’Ajin and Hikr al-Jami’ neighborhoods as ground troops engaged. Social media footage showed explosion flashes and sustained gunfire during the incursion. Overnight, thousands fled toward Khan Younis’ coastal al-Mawasi area—one of Gaza’s last relatively safe zones.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis deepens: At least 19 Palestinians, including a 4-year-old girl, died of starvation in the past 24 hours, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah reported to the BBC and CNN. Since the conflict began in October 2023, malnutrition has claimed at least 76 children’s lives in Gaza.
Medical sources told Al Jazeera that seven Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks Tuesday: Five family members died when their tent in al-Mawasi was hit (per Khan Younis’ Nasser Hospital), while two others were killed in Jabalia (per Al-Shifa Hospital). Israeli drones also targeted displaced Palestinians sheltering in a Deir al-Balah school, though no casualties were immediately reported.
Military Developments:**
Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has drafted a plan to escalate operations against Hamas, Channel 12 reported, citing sources familiar with the proposal. The “plan to take control of Gaza” would replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious Rafah “humanitarian city” initiative. Zamir’s strategy—contingent on failed hostage talks or post-ceasefire negotiations—calls for the IDF to seize and hold significantly more Gaza territory. Israel Hayom noted Netanyahu blocked Zamir from presenting the plan to the Security Cabinet.
Humanitarian Crisis:**
Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of Gaza’s Holy Family Church, described “exhausted, desperate” civilians facing 42°C heat with “no food, no water” amid ongoing bombardment. In an interview with Sir news agency, Romanelli—wounded in last week’s attack—stated the Church is striving to deliver aid but emphasized: “So far, we have not succeeded.”
Regional Escalation:**
The IDF announced it struck Houthi military infrastructure at Yemen’s Hudaydah port, targeting “terrorist regime” assets including engineering vehicles, fuel depots, and attack boats used against Israel. Defense Minister Israel Katz warned, “Yemen’s fate will be like Tehran’s,” vowing continued action against Houthi aggression.