Israeli forces engaged in intense battles with Hamas fighters in the narrow streets of Jabalia, northern Gaza, on Friday, marking some of the fiercest clashes since their recent return to the area. In the south, militants launched attacks on tanks amassing near Rafah.
Residents reported that Israeli tanks had advanced into the heart of Jabalia, Gaza’s largest historic refugee camp, reaching the market area.
Bulldozers were observed demolishing homes and shops in the path of the military operation.
“Tanks and planes are destroying residential areas, markets, shops, and restaurants.
This is all happening while the world watches,” said Ayman Rajab, a resident of western Jabalia, via a messaging app.
Israel had previously claimed to have cleared Jabalia months ago during the Gaza war, triggered by deadly Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7.
However, Israeli forces returned last week to prevent Islamist militants from regrouping in the area.
In southern Gaza, bordering Egypt, thick smoke rose over Rafah as the Israeli assault intensified, prompting hundreds of thousands of people to flee one of the few remaining areas of refuge.
“People are terrified and trying to escape,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office in Geneva, adding that most were moving north towards the coast, despite the absence of safe routes or destinations.
Amidst the ongoing conflict, the U.S. military announced that trucks had begun offloading aid at a temporary pier, the first such delivery by sea to the besieged enclave in weeks.
The World Food Programme, anticipating the arrival of food, water, shelter, and medical supplies via the floating dock, confirmed that aid was being transported to its warehouses in Deir Al Balah in central Gaza and was ready for distribution.
The United Nations reiterated its call for land convoys, disrupted by the assault on Rafah earlier this month, as the most efficient means of delivering aid.
“To prevent famine, we must urgently establish the most direct routes to reach the people of Gaza,” said Farhan Haq, deputy UN spokesperson.
U.S. aid was being prepared in Cyprus for delivery to Gaza via the new pier, according to Washington.
Hamas demanded an end to Israel’s blockade and accused the United States of complicity in Israeli policies of “starvation and blockade.”
The White House announced that U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan would visit Israel on Sunday to emphasize the need for targeted actions against Hamas militants rather than a full-scale assault on Rafah.
A group of U.S. medical personnel departed Gaza after being stranded at a hospital where they had been providing care, the White House added.
The Israel Defense Forces reported that more than 60 militants had been killed in recent days in Jabalia, with a weapons warehouse discovered during a major offensive.
“At least 35,303 Palestinians have been killed,” according to figures from the enclave’s health ministry, while aid agencies have warned of widespread hunger and severe shortages of fuel and medical supplies.
Israel stated that capturing Rafah was necessary to dismantle Hamas and safeguard the country’s security. In the October 7 Hamas attack, according to Israeli counts, 1,200 people died in Israel, with 253 taken hostage. About 128 hostages are still being held in Gaza.
Israel claimed on Friday that its forces had retrieved the bodies of three people killed during the Nova music festival in Israel on October 7, which had been taken into Gaza.
In response, Hamas stated that negotiations were the only way for Israel to retrieve hostages alive: “The enemy will not get its prisoners except as lifeless corpses or through an honourable exchange deal for our people and our resistance.”
Ceasefire negotiations have reached an impasse.
Israeli tanks and warplanes bombarded parts of Rafah on Friday, while the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad reported launching anti-tank missiles and mortars at forces massing near the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
UNRWA, the main UN agency for Palestinians, reported that more than 630,000 people had fled Rafah since the offensive began on May 6.
“They’re moving to areas without water – we have to transport it – and people aren’t getting enough food,” said Sam Rose, UNRWA planning director, speaking from Rafah.
At the International Court of Justice in The Hague, South Africa accused Israel of violating the Genocide Convention.
Israeli Justice Ministry official Gilad Noam defended the operation, dismissing the claims.
