JERUSALEM (AP) — The war in the Gaza Strip has reached one of its darkest periods. Israel's blockade of all food and supplies enters its 12th week. The military has launched another major offensive against Hamas, including “extensive” ground operations.
Hundreds of people in the Palestinian territory have been killed in recent days. Experts have warned of a looming famine. Doctors say overwhelmed hospitals are running out of medicine to treat even routine conditions.
The military is preparing for a new organization with U.S. backing to take over aid delivery, despite alarms raised by humanitarian groups that say the plans won't meet the massive need and could weaponize food assistance. It's unclear when operations would begin or who would fund them.
Talks continue in Qatar on a new ceasefire and exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, but the sides still seem far apart. Hamas demands an end to the war. Israel vows to keep fighting even after the hostages are freed — until Hamas has been destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile.
Here’s what to know about the more than 19-month war.
Casualties soar in Gaza
Israel ended a six-week ceasefire in mid-March and resumed its attacks in Gaza, saying military pressure is needed to get Hamas to free hostages abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by militants on southern Israel that ignited the war.
On Sunday alone, Israeli strikes killed more than 100 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. The strikes forced the closure of the Indonesian Hospital, the main health facility serving northern Gaza.
The strikes — often at night, as people sleep in their tents — have targeted hospitals, schools, medical clinics, mosques and a Thai restaurant-turned shelter. The European Hospital, the only remaining facility providing cancer treatment in Gaza, was put out of service last week.
Israel says it targets only militants and accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields.
The U.N. children's agency estimates that an average of 100 children were killed or maimed by Israeli airstrikes every day in the last 10 days of March.
Almost 3,000 of the more than 53,000 dead since the start of the war have been killed since Israel broke the ceasefire on March 18, the Health Ministry said.
Supplies blocked since March
Israel has blocked all supplies, including food, fuel and medicine, from reaching Gaza since the beginning of March. Its military campaign, which has destroyed vast areas and driven around 90% of the population from their homes, has left the territory almost entirely reliant on international aid.
Most community kitchens have shut down. The main food providers inside Gaza — the U.N.’s World Food Program and World Central Kitchen — say they are out of food. Vegetables and meat are inaccessible or unaffordable. Crowds line up for hours for a small scoop of rice.
Food security experts said last week that Gaza would likely fall into famine if Israel doesn’t lift its blockade and stop its military campaign.
Nearly 500,000 Palestinians face possible starvation — living in “catastrophic” levels of hunger — and 1 million others can barely get enough food, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises.
Satellite photos obtained by The Associated Press show what appear to be Israeli preparations for the new aid distribution program. The photos from May 10 show four bases in southern Gaza.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — made up of American security contractors, former government officials, ex-military officers and humanitarian officials — says it would initially set up four distribution sites, guarded by private security firms. Each would serve 300,000 people, covering only about half of Gaza’s population.
The proposal said subcontractors will use armored vehicles to transport supplies from the Gaza border to distribution sites, where they will also provide security. It said the aim is to deter criminal gangs or militants from redirecting aid.
New offensive endangers hostages, families and protesters say
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to use even greater force to achieve the two main war aims of returning all the hostages and dismantling Hamas.
Hamas abducted 251 hostages in the 2023 attack and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. The militant group is still holding 58 hostages, around a third believed to be alive, after releasing most of the rest in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Hamas has refused to release the remaining hostages without a deal that ensures a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. It has also demanded the release of more Palestinian prisoners.
Families of many of the hostages, and their supporters, have held mass protests for months demanding a deal to return their loved ones, and fear that the renewed offensive puts them in grave danger. Hamas is believed to be holding the hostages — its only bargaining chip — in different locations, including tunnels, and has said it will kill them if Israeli forces try to rescue them.
No sign of Trump pressuring Israel
Despite skipping Israel on his Middle East tour last week, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has voiced full support for Israel's actions in Gaza and he has shown no public sign of pressuring Netanyahu's government over the aid cutoff or the deaths of civilians.
Hamas released an Israeli-American soldier before Trump's visit to Gulf Arab countries last week in what it said was a goodwill gesture aimed at getting the long-stalled ceasefire talks back on track. Trump has said that he wants to get the the rest of the hostages out, but hasn't called on Israel to end the war.
Instead, he has proposed resettling much of Gaza's population of around 2 million Palestinians in other countries and redeveloping the territory for others. Israel has embraced the proposal, which has been condemned by Palestinians, Arab countries and much of the international community.
Experts say it would likely violate international law.
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Sam Mednick contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Israel.
Julia Frankel, The Associated Press
