May 16 (UPI) — At least 50 people were killed in airstrikes overnight in Gaza after Israel stepped up its military offensive in the north, the Hamas-run Civil Defense Agency said, with the 19-month-long conflict marking another grim milepost as the number of Palestinians killed surpassed 53,000.
The agency said the fatalities were in addition to more than 120 on Thursday, prompting Hamas to describe the move as “barbaric escalation” by Israel and urge the international community to hold Israel to account.
Israel Defense Forces said it was conducting ongoing, intelligence-based strikes against “terror targets,” hitting 150 sites in the past day, “dismantling terrorist infrastructure sites” and “eliminating terrorists” preparing to carry out attacks against its troops.
Figures published on the Hamas-run Ministry of Health’s Facebook account on Friday put the total number of Palestinians killed since Oct. 7, 2023, at 53,119 and the number injured at 120,214.
However, Gaza’s Government Media Office put the real figure of people killed at 61,700, due to the thousands of other residents who are missing — buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings — presumed dead.
The BBC said Israel was engaged in the largest ground offensive since it resumed its military campaign in mid-March after cutting off aid to Gaza at the beginning of March and terminating a two-month-long cease-fire and hostage/prisoner release agreement with Hamas two weeks later.
Following the airstrikes, the Israeli military launched a major assault early Friday on Beit Lahia in the northwest, close to the border with Israel, with ground forces and from the sea and air, according to residents.
They said nearby Israeli positions rained artillery fire down on the town shortly after the attack began, which began with smoke barrages. Tanks then began advancing toward the Al-Salateen neighbourhood of Beit Lahia, encircling hundreds of displaced people sheltering in a school.
The IDF also said troops had destroyed Hamas “terrorist infrastructure” in the south of Gaza, “including structures and [tunnel] shafts,” killing “several terrorists who it said were planning to lay an explosive booby trap.
Israel had tied its plans to U.S. President Donald Trump’s four-day visit to the region, which was scheduled to end Friday, threatening to intensify its military offensive and permanently occupy Gaza if Hamas failed to sign onto a proposal for a temporary cease-fire and the return of remaining hostages by then.
Speaking to reporters en route back to Washington aboard Air Force One, Trump declined to support or condemn Israel’s plans.
“We’ll see what happens,” but said the United States needed to “help out the Palestinians” because “a lot of people are starving,” due to the aid blockade.
“We’re going to look at everything, but we want to get the hostages back, Trump said, referencing a deal for Hamas to relinquish power brokered by his special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
