Deadly Israeli strikes pound Gaza, Trump says 'people are starving'

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie

CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed more than 250 people since Thursday morning, local health authorities said on Friday, one of the deadliest phases of bombardment since a truce collapsed in March, with a new ground offensive expected soon.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who ended a Middle East tour on Friday with no apparent progress towards a new ceasefire as Israel steps up its military campaign, acknowledged Gaza's growing hunger crisis and the need for aid deliveries.

"We have to help also out the Palestinians. You know, a lot of people are starving in Gaza, so we have to look at both sides," he said. When asked if he backed Israel's war plans, Trump said he expected "good things" over the next month.

Friday's air and artillery strikes were focused on the northern section of the tiny, crowded enclave, where dozens of people including women and children were killed overnight, said Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Khalil al-Deqran.

Israel has intensified its bombardment and built up armoured forces along the border despite growing international pressure for it to resume ceasefire talks and end its blockade of Gaza, where warnings of famine are growing.

Just before midnight on Friday, the Israeli military said that during the last day forces began launching extensive strikes and transferring forces to seize control over areas within the Gaza Strip.

It said the escalation was part of the initial stages of what it said was "Operation Gideon's Wagons" to expand the battle in the enclave "with the aim of achieving all the war's objectives, including the liberation of the kidnapped soldiers and the defeat of Hamas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 5 that Israel was planning an expanded, intensive offensive against Hamas as his security cabinet approved plans that could involve seizing the entire Gaza Strip and controlling aid.

An Israeli defence official said at the time that the operation would not be launched before Trump concluded his visit to the Middle East, which was expected to end on Friday.

Israel's declared goal in Gaza is the elimination of Hamas, which attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and seizing about 250 hostages.

Its military campaign has devastated the enclave, pushing nearly all inhabitants from their homes and killing more than 53,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities, while aid agencies say its blockade has caused a humanitarian crisis.

Heavy strikes were reported on Friday in the northern town of Beit Lahiya and in the Jabalia refugee camp, where Palestinian emergency services said many bodies were still buried in the rubble.

Israel dropped leaflets on Beit Lahiya ordering all residents to leave, whether they lived in tents, shelters or buildings. "Leave southwards immediately," the leaflets read.

Residents said Israeli tanks were advancing towards the southern city of Khan Younis.

Israel's military said its air force had struck more than 150 military targets across Gaza.

STRIKES

In Jabalia, men picked through a sea of rubble following the night's strikes, pulling out sheets of metal as small children clambered through the debris.

Around 10 bodies draped in white sheets were lined up on the ground to be taken to hospital. Women sat crying and one lifted a corner of a sheet to gaze at the dead person's face.

"Where should I go today? To west Gaza? There's bombing in west Gaza. To the south? They're killing people in Khan Younis. To Deir al-Balah? There is bombing. Me, my children and my family, where should we go?" said Fadi Tamboura, sitting crying next to a crater left by an overnight strike.

Ismail, a man from Gaza City who gave only his first name, described a night of horror. "The non-stop explosions resulting from the airstrikes and tank shelling reminded us of the early days of the war. The ground didn't stop shaking underneath our feet," Ismail told Reuters via a chat app.

"We thought Trump arrived to save us, but it seems Netanyahu doesn't care, neither does Trump."

Israel has faced increasing international isolation over its campaign in Gaza, with even the United States, its staunchest ally, expressing unease over the scale of the destruction and the dire situation caused by its blockade on deliveries of food and other vital aid.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was "troubled" by the humanitarian situation.

Netanyahu has dispatched a team to Doha to take part in ceasefire talks with Qatari mediators, but he has ruled out concessions, saying Israel remains committed to defeating Hamas.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents some of the families and supporters of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza, said Israel risked missing a "historic opportunity" to bring them home as Trump wound up his visit to the Middle East.

"We are in dramatic hours that will determine the future of our loved ones, the future of Israeli society, and the future of the Middle East," the group said in a statement.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie; writing by Angus McDowall, Editing by William Maclean and Diane Craft)