GAZA — Israeli forces besieged the Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia on Sunday as part of a broad offensive in northern Gaza, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting that heavy fire blocked access to patients, staff, and critical medical supplies.

The escalation follows the Israeli military’s announcement of a new phase of its campaign to seize strategic areas of the Gaza Strip.

Airstrikes have intensified since Thursday, killing more than 300 people, according to Hamas-run authorities, with strikes targeting hospitals and refugee camps across the north and south.

The health ministry said three public hospitals in the North Gaza governorate are now out of service.

On Saturday, Hamas offered to release nine hostages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire, a Palestinian official told the BBC after renewed negotiations in Qatar.

The proposed truce follows recent Istanbul-hosted peace talks and growing international pressure for a humanitarian breakthrough.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to “capture and hold” territory in Gaza to dismantle Hamas and secure the release of hostages. He delayed the latest military push until after U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East tour, which concluded Friday.

Gaza’s humanitarian crisis has deepened as Israel continues to block most aid deliveries, with agencies warning of critical shortages of food, medicine, and water.

The conflict, now in its eighth month, began with the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which left 1,200 dead and over 250 hostages taken. Israel says it will not stop its campaign until Hamas is defeated and the remaining 58 hostages are returned — 23 of whom are believed to be alive.

More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip. — BBC