AFP on Saturday reported that the director of Gaza's largest hospital, already struggling to cope with the carnage of "Israel's" ongoing assault, was struck by personal loss when the bodies of his brother and sister-in-law arrived at the emergency ward.

Mohammed Abu Salmiya, who leads Al-Shifa hospital, said he was working as waves of martyrs from Israeli bombardments were being brought in when he realized two of the dead were his own family. "I was shocked and devastated to see the bodies of my brother and his wife," he said. "Anything is possible now, as you receive your dearest ones as martyrs or wounded. The occupation's crimes continue, and the number of martyrs keeps rising."

Mass killings and overwhelmed hospitals

According to the Gaza civil defence agency, 87 people were killed on Saturday alone, with 70 deaths in Gaza City, the epicenter of "Israel's" latest offensive. Among them were 11 members of the Dughmush family, wiped out in a single strike on the Al-Sabra neighborhood.

Hospitals across the besieged enclave remain flooded with bodies. Al-Shifa reported receiving 34 corpses, while the Baptist hospital took in 28. An AFP journalist witnessed ambulances pulling into the Al-Shifa compound, unloading the dead and injured, including children. Four bodies wrapped in white cloth were placed beneath a tree as more victims arrived.

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"Israel's" military dismissed questions about the rising civilian death toll but insisted it was expanding its operation, claiming that "troops dismantled numerous terror infrastructure sites."

Forced displacement under fire

"Israel's" bombardment of Gaza City forms part of a broader campaign that international bodies and human rights organizations describe as a systematic effort to erase Palestinian communities. Entire neighborhoods are being reduced to rubble, echoing the destruction of Beit Hanoun and Rafah.

"Death is more merciful," said 38-year-old Mohammed Nassar from Tal al-Hawa, who explained he cannot afford to evacuate his wife and three daughters. "As for me, my wife and my three daughters, we will wait until the last moment. The occupation wants to forcibly displace everyone so it can destroy Gaza City and turn it into another Beit Hanoun or Rafah -- unlivable for the next 100 years."

The Gaza civil defence agency estimates that 450,000 people have already fled the city, while "Israel" claims 480,000 have left. Yet with the United Nations reporting about one million residents in Gaza City and its environs, hundreds of thousands remain trapped, too poor or too exhausted to flee.

No safe refuge

Those who attempt to leave face extortionate costs. Palestinians report paying up to $2,000 for a 30-kilometre evacuation, a price far beyond the reach of most families. "Israel" insists people should relocate to Al-Mawasi, a so-called "humanitarian zone," but it has repeatedly bombed the very area it designates as safe.

Raeda al-Amareen, a Gaza City resident, described her despair: "We want to evacuate but we have no money. We don't even have 10 shekels to buy bread. What are we supposed to do? We'll stay -- either we die or someone finds a solution for us."

Genocide unfolding

The relentless bombardment, mass displacement, and destruction of entire communities has led Palestinians and human rights advocates to frame Israel's actions as part of a genocide against Gaza's population. With famine already declared in parts of the territory, and with hospitals, homes, and families obliterated, survivors like Salmiya and Nassar see little distinction between death and life under siege.