CAIRO — On Monday, October 21, Israeli military forces surrounded hospitals and shelters for displaced individuals in northern Gaza as they intensified their operations, hindering essential aid from reaching civilians, according to residents and medical personnel.

Troops detained men and ordered women to leave the Jabalia refugee camp. An Israeli airstrike on a house in Jabalia resulted in five deaths and several injuries, according to medical sources.

The UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) reported that Israeli authorities were blocking humanitarian efforts to deliver vital supplies, including food and medicine, to northern Gaza.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, stated on X that people trying to escape were being killed, with their bodies left in the streets.

Medics at the Indonesian Hospital informed Reuters that Israeli troops raided a school, detaining men before setting the building on fire, which damaged hospital generators and caused a power outage.

Health officials reported that they refused Israeli army orders to evacuate three local hospitals or leave patients unattended.

On Monday, Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, announced that at least two critically injured patients in the intensive care unit died due to a lack of medical supplies.

"The hospital has completely run out of blood units... We are prioritizing treatment," Abu Safiya stated in a video message.

While troops remained outside, medics at Kamal Adwan reported heavy Israeli fire near the hospital overnight. A nurse from the Indonesian Hospital, who requested anonymity, mentioned that the army was setting fire to nearby schools, preventing anyone from entering or exiting the hospital.

Palestinian health officials noted that at least 18 individuals were killed in Jabalia and eight others in various locations in Gaza due to Israeli strikes.

The Israeli military claimed its forces had dismantled infrastructure and tunnel shafts while killing suspected fighters in Jabalia. The military also stated it had safely assisted thousands of civilians in evacuating through organized routes, contradicting UN aid agency reports. Israel maintained contact with the international community and Gaza's healthcare system to ensure hospital emergency services were operational.

Last week, the United States urged Israel to take steps within a month to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or risk potential restrictions on U.S. military aid.

Israel has escalated its operations in both Gaza and Lebanon following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, raising hopes for a ceasefire after over a year of conflict.

Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas, which previously governed Gaza and initiated the war with its attack on Israel last year, resulting in widespread destruction and tens of thousands of deaths. Over 1.9 million people are now facing extreme hunger and hardship.

Raed, a Jabalia resident, lamented, "We are dying from bombs, thirst, and hunger. Jabalia is being destroyed with no witnesses; the world is turning a blind eye."

Hadeel Obeid, a supervising nurse at the Indonesian Hospital, reported that they are running low on medical supplies, including sterile gauze and medications. Water has been cut off, and there has been no food for four days.

The United Nations indicated it could not access three hospitals in northern Gaza. The UN Human Rights Office accused Israeli forces of unlawfully interfering with humanitarian aid and giving orders that led to forced displacement, which could be contributing to the destruction of the Palestinian population in northern Gaza.

Lazzarini from UNRWA said that injured individuals are left without care in hospitals that have been struck.

"UNRWA's remaining shelters are overcrowded, forcing some displaced people to live in toilets," he added.

Israel claims to be delivering substantial amounts of humanitarian aid to Gaza via land and air, stating it has facilitated patient evacuations from Kamal Adwan Hospital. However, Palestinians assert that no aid has reached northern Gaza where military operations are ongoing.

Reports earlier indicated that food supplies have significantly dwindled since Israeli authorities imposed new customs rules on humanitarian aid and reduced deliveries organized by businesses.

Residents and medical personnel reported that Israeli forces have tightened their blockade on Jabalia by positioning tanks in nearby towns and issuing evacuation orders.

Israeli officials clarified that these orders aimed to separate Hamas fighters from civilians and denied any systematic effort to evacuate civilians, stating that their operations had killed many individuals accused of being Hamas militants.

Hamas accused Israel of committing "genocide and ethnic cleansing" to force the population to flee northern Gaza. Israel faces accusations of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice.

The Hamas military wing reported that its fighters targeted Israeli forces with anti-tank rockets and mortar fire and detonated explosives against troops inside tanks and in residential areas.

Elsewhere in Gaza, Israeli strikes resulted in the deaths of at least five people in Rafah and four others in two separate strikes in Gaza City, according to medical reports.

Sinwar, recently killed, was considered one of the masterminds behind the October 7, 2023, attack on Israeli communities, which killed around 1,200 individuals and led to approximately 253 hostages taken to Gaza, according to Israeli sources.

The ongoing bombardment of Gaza has resulted in over 42,500 Palestinian deaths, with an additional 10,000 presumed dead and buried under rubble, according to Gaza health authorities.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters