Sept. 27 (UPI) — The Israeli Air Force targeted more than 120 sites in the Gaza Strip to destroy Hamas infrastructure, while the Israel Defense Forces continued its ground offensive in Gaza City.
The IAF on Friday and Saturday struck buildings and other infrastructure that Hamas uses to continue the war against Israel that Hamas started by attacking Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The aerial strikes occurred as the IDF’s 98th Division killed several Hamas militants and located rockets and rocket-propelled grenades in Gaza City, according to The Times of Israel.
The IDF force used drones to attack a Hamas surveillance post in Gaza City that the Hamas-allied Palestinian Islamic Jihad also used to stage its operations in Gaza City, while the IDF’s 36th and 162nd divisions also destroyed Hamas tunnels and killed several Hamas and Islamic Jihad members over the past day, the Times reported.
The attacks killed at least 91 Palestinians, at least 45 of whom were in Gaza City, Al Jazeera reported.
The news outlet did not cite a source or say how many of the reported deaths are Hamas and Islamic Jihad members and how many might be civilians.
The Israeli military’s offensive in Gaza City caused the non-profit charity Doctors Without Borders to close in the northern Gaza municipality.
“We have been left with no choice but to stop our activities as our clinics are encircled by Israeli forces,” said Jacob Granger, the DWB’s emergency medical coordinator in Gaza, as reported by The New York Times.
“This is the last thing we wanted,” Granger said. “The needs in Gaza City are enormous.”
Granger said the medical organization treated more than 1,600 Gazans for malnutrition and conducted more than 3,600 medical consultations for more than 3,600 patients.
The Israeli offensive has caused many of its citizens to question Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s effort to free the remaining hostages and end the war, The Times of Israel reported.
Former hostage Doron Steinbrecher is among Israelis who question the Israeli government’s efforts to recover all hostages, including those who are deceased.
“I don’t know if I still believe that everything is being done,” Steinbrecher told a group of protesters on Saturday at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv.
“I have no choice but to believe they’ll come back,” Steinbrecher continued. “We have no choice, and neither do they.”
She urged the Israeli government to seize any opportunity to secure a cease-fire and the release of all hostages.
President Donald Trump earlier this week estimated Hamas continues holding up to 58 hostages in Gaza, but he said only 20 are believed to still be alive.