Israeli strikes kill at least 58 Palestinians overnight

JERUSALEM – Israel’s air force killed at least 146 Palestinians in new attacks on Gaza over the past 24 hours and injured many more, the local health authorities said on May 17, as the country appeared set to press ahead with a new ground offensive.

Israeli strikes since May 15 have seen one of the deadliest phases of bombardment since a truce collapsed in March.

The latest strikes came after US President Donald Trump ended his Middle East tour on May 16 with no apparent progress towards a new ceasefire.

“Since midnight, we have received 58 martyrs, while a large number of victims remain under the rubble. The situation inside the hospital is catastrophic,” said the director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, Dr Marwan Al-Sultan.

The local health authorities said 459 people had been injured in Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours.

Israel’s military said on May 16 it is conducting extensive strikes and mobilising troops as part of preparations to expand operations in the Gaza Strip and achieve “operational control” in areas of the Palestinian enclave.

The Gaza health system is barely operational with hospitals hit repeatedly by the Israeli military during the 19-month war and medical supplies drying up as Israel tightened its blockade since March.

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 getting its hostages back.

An Israeli defence official said earlier in May that the operation would not be launched before Mr Trump concluded his visit to the Middle East.

“We are gradually increasing forces; Hamas remains defiant,” the military said on May 17.

United Nations experts warn that famine looms in Gaza after Israel blocked aid deliveries to