The Japan Times - Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 100 as Hamas makes a plea to lift blockade

In early March, shortly before the collapse of a two-month ceasefire in its war against Hamas, Israel reimposed a total blockade on the Gaza Strip, where aid agencies have warned of critical shortages of everything from food and clean water to fuel and medicines.

US President Donald Trump acknowledged on Friday that "a lot of people are starving" in the besieged Palestinian territory.

"We're looking at Gaza. And we're going to get that taken care of," Trump told reporters in Abu Dhabi, on a regional tour that excluded key ally Israel.

Israel says its decision to cut off aid to Gaza was intended to force concessions from militant group Hamas, which still holds dozens of Israeli hostages seized during the October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war.

Hamas on Monday freed Edan Alexander, the last living hostage with US nationality, after direct engagement with the Trump administration that left Israel sidelined.

As part of the understanding with Washington regarding Alexander's release, senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the group was "awaiting and expecting the US administration to exert further pressure" on Israel "to open the crossings and allow the immediate entry of humanitarian aid".

Nunu's remarks come a day after Hamas had warned Trump that Gaza was not "for sale", responding to the US president again suggesting he could take over the Palestinian territory and turn it into "a freedom zone".

On the ground, Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least 100 people on Friday.

Umm Mohammed al-Tatari, 57, told AFP that she was awoken by a pre-dawn attack.

"We were asleep when suddenly everything exploded around us," she said.

Ahmed Nasr, 33, also from northern Gaza, said: "There is no safety. We could die at any moment."

At the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, AFPTV footage showed mourners crying over the bodies of their loved ones.

"They were innocent people," said Mayar Salem. "Only their remains are left... They were my sisters and daughters."

- 'Historic opportunity' -

Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.

The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said 2,985 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,119.

Israeli media reported that the military had stepped up its offensive in line with a plan approved by the government earlier this month, though there has not been any formal announcement of an expanded campaign.

The military said that its forces had "struck over 150 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip" in 24 hours.

The main Israeli campaign group representing the families of hostages said that by extending the fighting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was missing an "historic opportunity" to get their loved ones out through diplomacy.

A rival group, the Tikva Forum, called for more military pressure "coordinated with diplomatic pressure, a complete siege, cutting off water and electricity".

For weeks, UN agencies have warned of severe shortages in Gaza.

The 46-member Council of Europe said on Friday the territory was suffering from "deliberate starvation".

And seven European countries, including five that have recognised a Palestinian state -- Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia, Spain and Norway -- issued a joint statement condemning what they called "the man-made humanitarian catastrophe that is taking place" and calling on Israel to halt military operations and lift the blockade.

In a statement of its own, Hamas said it "highly values the humanitarian and courageous stance" adopted by the seven countries.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-supported NGO, has said it will begin distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza this month after talks with Israeli officials.

But the United Nations on Thursday ruled out involvement with the initiative, citing concerns about "impartiality, neutrality (and) independence".

T.Kobayashi--JT