At least 30 people, including children, were killed overnight and this morning in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, according to staff at the Martyrs Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah.
Hospital staff reported that more than ten women and children died in Israeli attacks on areas in the central part of the Gaza Strip, governed by Palestinian Hamas, including Nuseirat, Zawaida, Maghazi, and Deir Al-Balah.
Several dozen people were also killed in Israeli strikes on the Palestinian enclave yesterday.
The Israeli military did not comment on the latest strikes but stated in today’s announcement that it had targeted dozens of Hamas positions across Gaza over the past day, in areas where the extremist group planned and conducted attacks. The military claimed it had taken measures to minimize civilian suffering, such as using precision-guided munitions and aerial surveillance.
Yesterday’s Israeli attacks targeted Hamas security officials and a humanitarian zone declared by Israel. Early this morning, independent journalist Omar al-Derawi was killed in the strikes.
Simultaneously with Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, air raid sirens sounded in Israel early this morning due to rocket attacks from Yemen.
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There are no reports of casualties or material damage so far, although a faint explosion was heard in Jerusalem, likely from a projectile or an interceptor. The Israeli military announced that a rocket had been intercepted.
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by the U.S., are expected to resume today in Qatar.
These negotiations have repeatedly stalled during the 15-month conflict, triggered by an attack by Palestinian extremists led by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023. On that day, extremists killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 250. Around 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with a third believed to be dead.
Israel immediately launched a retaliatory offensive on the Gaza Strip, during which, according to Hamas, more than 45,500 Palestinians have been killed. Hamas’ Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties, states that women and children account for more than half of the dead.
The Israeli military claims it targets only extremists and blames Hamas for civilian casualties, as its fighters operate in densely populated areas. Israel asserts that it has killed 17,000 extremists but has not provided evidence to support this claim.
The war has resulted in the destruction of much of the Gaza Strip and the displacement of around 90 percent of the 2.3 million residents of the enclave.
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Source: N1, Photo: AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana