Israel’s military campaign in Gaza City intensified this week, as forces continued their push to dislodge residents from the north of the Strip. At least 59 people were killed on Monday alone in a series of air and ground strikes, as the army pressed deeper into the devastated urban landscape.

Overnight, fires engulfed makeshift shelters around Sheikh Radwan Market, north of the city, after Israeli forces reportedly deployed incendiary flares. The blaze swept through the encampments of displaced civilians, adding yet another layer of tragedy to a humanitarian catastrophe already beyond comprehension.

Famine, too, continues to exact its toll. Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported nine more deaths in the past 24 hours from hunger and malnutrition, including three children. The total number of fatalities attributed to famine now stands at 348, nearly one-third of them children. Aid remains woefully insufficient, choked by access restrictions and the ongoing fighting.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the world’s leading body on the study of mass atrocities, issued a resolution stating that the legal threshold for the designation of genocide in Gaza has been met. The resolution is not legally binding but adds significant academic weight to a growing body of international criticism facing Israel.

Israel rejects accusations of genocide, insisting its actions are aimed at dismantling Hamas and defending its population. But with civilian casualties mounting, famine spreading, and displacement nearing totality, the distinction between military objective and humanitarian collapse grows ever harder to maintain.