Israeli army continues to attack Gaza Strip, casualties rise

Despite progress in ceasefire negotiations, over the past 24 hours, the Israeli military (IDF) continued heavy attacks on the Gaza Strip, causing the death toll to rise with 32 dead and 41 injured.

The Gaza Strip's Health Authority announced on May 4 that since the conflict with Israel began, the death toll there has exceeded 34,650 people and the number of injured is 77,900.

The IDF said it used fighter jets to attack the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza after rockets were launched from there towards a residential area close to the Israeli border.

Aljazeera TV reported that over the past day, Israel has continuously carried out artillery and drone attacks on the city of Rafah, killing three people.

In another development, speaking at the Sedona Forum organized by the McCain Institute on May 3 in Arizona, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated his warning that an Israeli ground attack on Rafah would cause casualties there “beyond acceptable levels.”

Israel is preparing for an invasion of Rafah, home to some 1.3 million Palestinian refugees. Part of the plan includes relocating people to the northern Gaza Strip.

However, analysts say this is impossible because much of the infrastructure in northern Gaza has been destroyed.

The head of the United Nations Food Program (WFP), Cindy McCain, said on May 4 that based on observations and experiences, the northern part of the Gaza Strip has reached the threshold of a “massive famine.”

Previously, on March 18, WFP announced that about 1.1 million Gazans were severely undernourished, "the highest recorded level in the world in terms of numbers".