Fri Sep 19 22:22:27 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**Israeli Offensive Intensifies in Gaza: Dozens Killed, Famine Deaths Soar**

**Gaza City** – Israeli forces have launched a renewed and intensified offensive on Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of at least 43 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Friday. According to medical sources, 26 of those fatalities occurred in Gaza City, which has been subjected to what residents describe as some of the heaviest strikes in two years. Three civilians were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a residential house in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa, close to the Netzarim Corridor, sources told Al Jazeera. Friday’s death toll also includes two aid seekers who were killed by the Israeli army in southern Gaza.

The Israeli military, through Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee, warned Gaza City residents of an impending deployment of “unprecedented force” and urged them to evacuate south towards the overcrowded al-Mawasi area. This escape route, however, is fraught with danger, and many residents lack the resources to transport themselves and their belongings.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported “distressing” conditions in Gaza City, with relentless attacks leveling buildings and infrastructure, trapping families under the debris.

Nivin Ahmed, 50, who fled Gaza City with her family, described a harrowing 15km journey on foot, stating, “We were crawling from exhaustion.”

While the Israeli military claims approximately 480,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City since late August, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics estimates that around 740,000 people remain in the north of the enclave.

The situation is further compounded by a rapidly worsening famine. A medical source at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza reported the death of a nine-year-old child from severe malnutrition, bringing the total number of famine-related deaths to 441 since the start of the conflict, according to Gaza Health Ministry figures.

Hospitals are struggling to function due to critical fuel shortages. Amjad Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza, warns that fuel supplies will last only 72 hours, leading to a “dangerous situation on all levels.”

International organizations and humanitarian groups are calling for an immediate ceasefire and increased aid access to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Gaza.

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