Dozens of people killed in Israeli airstrikes on southern Gaza, leaving many displaced

According to officials, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in air strikes in southern Gaza, despite the Israeli military instructing civilians to take shelter in the area. Most of the victims had previously fled their homes in the north in anticipation of a major ground offensive by Hamas. The military claimed to have targeted several Hamas locations in the south. Concerns are also growing about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, with aid agencies warning that hospitals are running out of fuel, water is scarce, and food supplies are rapidly diminishing. There were hopes of opening Egypt's Rafah crossing to allow aid into Gaza and allow Palestinians with foreign passports to leave, but an Israeli strike damaged the building at the crossing. Israel has cut off electricity, water, and food and medicine deliveries as a response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on the 7th of October. Since then, Israel's bombardment has resulted in the deaths of over 2,800 people in Gaza. The situation in southern Gaza is particularly concerning for the hundreds of thousands of people who complied with the Israeli military's order to evacuate northern Gaza for their own safety. Reports from Khan Younis indicate that over 100 people were killed in Israeli air strikes, most of whom were displaced individuals. Local officials believe that they were deliberately brought to the south to be targeted by Israeli forces. The Israeli military claims to have struck Hamas' command centres, military infrastructure, and hideouts in Khan Younis and Rafah, as well as in the northern areas of Zeitoun and Jabalia. Displaced individuals in Khan Younis said they were planning to return to their homes despite the risks. The situation in Khan Younis, Rafah, and other southern communities has been overwhelming, with the need to accommodate and feed over 600,000 displaced people. An additional 400,000 people have found shelter elsewhere in the Strip. Access to water and food is extremely challenging, with water supplies limited and Gaza's last functioning seawater desalination plant forced to shut down. The hospital in Khan Younis is at risk of running out of fuel, posing a serious threat to the lives of patients. The World Food Programme warned that food shops in Gaza only have a few days of supplies left and access is becoming increasingly difficult due to Israeli strikes. Despite these warnings, an Israeli military spokesman denied the existence of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. However, the UN human rights office stated that Israel's order for civilians to evacuate, combined with the siege on Gaza, could violate international law. The office also called for the immediate release of all hostages held in Gaza and a halt to the firing of rockets at Israeli cities. Hamas released a video of a captured Israeli-French woman, Mia Shem, who claimed to have been kidnapped from a music festival where hundreds of other people were killed. Her mother made a plea for her safe return and highlighted the plight of other hostages and victims in Gaza. The Israeli military denounced the hostage video as "psychological terrorism."