Israeli siege of north Gaza leaves 5,000 dead, missing after 100 days

In the 100 days of the Israeli military's siege of northern Gaza, brutal attacks have escalated, with approximately 5,000 Palestinians dead or missing, despite ongoing negotiations for a potential mediation deal between Israel and Hamas. According to a medical source who spoke to Al Jazeera on Sunday, another 9,500 Palestinians have been injured since the start of the Israeli military operation in the north in early October.

The Gaza government media office on Sunday described the Israeli siege as "the most heinous forms of ethnic cleansing, displacement, and destruction," affecting hundreds of thousands of people in the war-ravaged area. Al Jazeera's Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said that northern Gaza is now a "ghost town" full of ruins and rubble, but some people are still managing to survive there, refusing to leave.

"We are seeing systematic attacks against Palestinians in every single place in the Gaza Strip. Wherever you are – schools, shelters, makeshift camps, even hospitals," she said. The main medical facility in the north, Kamal Adwan Hospital, was burned down by Israeli forces in late December, and the fate of its arrested director, Hussam Abu Safiya, remains unknown. The siege shows no signs of stopping as Israeli politicians and settler groups openly discuss the prospect of establishing settlements in northern Gaza.

According to witnesses, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in the Muhabarat area of northern Gaza City on Sunday afternoon. Subsequently, an Israeli drone killed a young man in the Shati refugee camp. Overnight, Israel launched heavy attacks on areas northwest of Gaza City. On Saturday, Israeli forces directly attacked another school in Jabalia, northern Gaza, which was being used as a shelter, claiming it was a Hamas "command and control center," resulting in the deaths of at least eight Palestinians.

The relentless attacks have also repeatedly targeted other areas of the Gaza Strip, with some recent attacks occurring in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. The Israeli military issued another forced evacuation order on Sunday, targeting residents of a residential area north of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Residents were told they risked being killed if they did not abandon the area. Gaza's civil defense announced on Sunday that Israeli forces had killed at least 70 children in that area alone in the past five days.

The intensification of Israeli attacks comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized the heads of intelligence and security agencies Mossad and Shin Bet, along with other senior representatives, to travel to Qatar to advance negotiations regarding the release of captives in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners. The White House stated that US President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Sunday, following US officials' attempts to reach a Gaza captive and ceasefire agreement before Biden leaves office on January 20.

Biden "emphasized the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the return of hostages, while halting the fighting under an agreement to allow for a surge in humanitarian assistance." Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, stated earlier on CNN's "State of the Union" program that the parties were "very, very close" to an agreement but still needed to finalize it. However, Israeli leaders have emphasized that even if an agreement is reached, the war will not end, and they will maintain military control over the area, even as they continue to occupy the West Bank, large parts of Syria, and southern Lebanon.

Despite another large demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday night against the Israeli government and in support of an agreement, far-right ministers in the government remain opposed. Netanyahu was busy on Sunday ensuring that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir would not abandon the ruling coalition due to an agreement, thus threatening the stability of his governing coalition.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, as the Israeli military continues to block the entry of most aid supplies while creating unsafe conditions that have led to armed groups looting aid convoys. Thousands of families are forced to endure famine-like conditions in the open air or in dilapidated tents, while Israeli forces continue to attack hospitals and order them to evacuate. According to UNICEF, almost all of Gaza's 1.1 million children need mental health and psychosocial support under the catastrophic living conditions of continued Israeli bombing, repeated displacement, and winter cold.

The UN estimates that at least 19,000 Palestinian children have been orphaned since the start of the war in Gaza, which is now in its 16th month. At least 203 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of the war, including several during the New Year period. The Gaza Ministry of Health said on Sunday that Israel has killed at least 46,565 Palestinians and injured 109,660 to date, including 28 deaths in the past day.