120 people killed in Israeli airstrikes over Gaza in two nights; only cancer hospital rendered inoperational

Over 120 people were killed in Gaza due to strikes from Israel in the last two nights, Palestinian rescue teams reported on Thursday. Over 54 people were killed overnight in intense shelling on the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis after Wednesday’s bombings across northern and southern Gaza that claimed at least 70 lives, bringing the two-day death toll to 120.The aid flow to Gaza has been halted since March 2, with Israel using the blockade as leverage to secure concessions from Hamas. Hamas stated that "the minimum requirement" for negotiations would be the restoration of humanitarian assistance to the war-affected region.The Israeli military did not have any immediate response to the airstrikes.According to news agency AP, the Gaza health ministry said that 82 bodies had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours following Israeli airstrikes, including 54 from Khan Younis.The escalation comes as US President Donald Trump tours the Middle East, visiting several Gulf nations but not Israel. His trip raised hopes that it might lead to a ceasefire agreement or the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which remains under an Israeli blockade now entering its third month.Earlier this week, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to escalate Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, reiterating his goal of eliminating the Hamas militant group that governs the territory, news agency AP reported. “With great strength to complete the mission,” emphasising that the objective was “the destruction of Hamas.”Gaza’s only cancer hospital shuts; nearly 1 million face hunger crisisGaza’s health ministry also said that the European Hospital Khan Younis, the only hospital in Gaza still offering cancer treatments, is no longer operating. The facility was badly damaged in Israeli airstrikes, and nearby roads were also hit, making it inaccessible.According to the integrated food security phase classification (IPC), a leading authority on global hunger crises, nearly 500,000 Palestinians are facing possible starvation, and nearly 1 million are struggling to access enough food to survive.Israeli government spokesman David Mencer on Thursday denied that there is a food shortage in Gaza. He claimed that Hamas is withholding supplies, saying, “they need to open up the food to the people.”From October 7 attack to ongoing bloodshedThe conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched an incursion into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people. In response, Israel launched a large-scale military offensive that has since resulted in the deaths of more than 53,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Nearly 3,000 people have been killed since Israel broke a ceasefire on March 18.Hamas is still holding 58 of the approximately 250 hostages taken during its October 7 attack on Israel. Of those, 23 are believed to still be alive, though Israeli officials have raised concerns about the condition of three of them.