In the Gaza Strip, Deir al-Balah represented one of the last corners spared from destruction. Streets were still passable, buildings not yet reduced to rubble, a seeming respite from the chaos.

It was there, a few months ago, that Hamas staged a final showdown: hooded militants, a gathered crowd, and hostages handed over in a theatrical ritual to the Red Cross. A desperate attempt to demonstrate that, even after the death of leader Yahya Sinwar, the group still had a voice and power.

But that gesture became the pretext for the most serious offensive. At dawn yesterday, Israeli forces entered Deir al-Balah. First came loudspeakers ordering the evacuation—defined by the United Nations as a veritable deportation—then came tanks and artillery. Thus began yet another phase of the Israeli operation aimed at the total eradication of Gaza.

Many residents, forced to flee, have reached makeshift camps where water and food are now a mirage. Others, however, have remained, unable to move again.

Meanwhile, Tel Aviv is justifying the attack as a mission to free the surviving hostages. But the families of the Israeli prisoners have launched a harsh indictment: "The government is knowingly putting the hostages' lives at risk," the Family Forum denounces. "No one will be able to pretend they don't know any longer."

Until yesterday, Deir al-Balah was considered a red zone, an area that should not be targeted precisely because of the suspicion that live hostages might be held there. But the bombs arrived anyway. According to Palestinian sources, at least three people from the district were killed in the initial attacks.

Italy has also expressed alarm over the escalation. Several Italians, active with humanitarian organizations, are in the area. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has called for an immediate halt to hostilities.

But in Gaza, the danger doesn't come only from the bombings. Dr. Fidaa al-Nadi, one of the few doctors left at Nasser Hospital, recounts another daily tragedy: "Every day we lose one or two children to malnutrition." Yesterday, three-month-old Yahya al-Najjar died. His mother, now depleted of strength, was unable to feed him. Formula milk has been missing for some time. International aid workers are speaking of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

In the face of this catastrophe, the rift between Israel and part of the international community is widening. Twenty-eight countries—including Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Canada—have signed a joint statement condemning the killing of defenseless civilians and the haphazard management of aid. The statement denounces forced displacement and the idea of creating closed humanitarian zones, from which people emerge only "dead or displaced."

Neither the United States nor Germany joined the declaration. Berlin merely distanced itself from the offensive: Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared that "Israeli actions are not justifiable."

Tel Aviv responded by accusing the signatories of "living disconnected from reality" and placed the blame squarely on Hamas. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee was more blunt: "It's shameful! Blaming Israel and not the terrorists is shameful."

Meanwhile, the death toll rises. According to local authorities, between Sunday and Monday, at least 130 people died, with over a thousand injured. One of the most tragic days since the conflict began.

(Unioneonline/Fr.Me.)

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