Israel’s military has declared Gaza City “a dangerous combat zone” as it ramps up its offensive to seize the Gaza Strip’s largest urban area. The announcement came as Israel carried out drone, artillery and fighter jet attacks that killed at least 41 Palestinians since dawn, including children and people searching for food. Meanwhile, UNICEF warns Gaza’s starvation crisis due to Israel’s blockade is growing worse by the day, telling Al Jazeera, “famine is absolutely ravaging Gaza City.” Thousands of the city’s residents have been fleeing their homes, most of them heading toward the coast, as Israeli forces attack eastern suburbs.

Mohammed Al-Adham: “What should we do? Do we stay here to die, to be broken? My two brothers died. My mother was martyred. My cousins were killed before my eyes. What should we do? We keep moving from one place to another, until God above looks upon us.”

Earlier today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israeli forces in Gaza recovered the body of Ilan Weiss, a 55-year-old Israeli abducted by Hamas in October 2023. Forty-nine hostages remain in Gaza, at least 27 of whom are deceased, according to Israel. On Thursday, Israel’s far-right Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich called for the annexation of the Gaza Strip if Hamas refuses to disarm. Hamas condemned his threat as an “official call to exterminate” Palestinians.