Israel carried out deadly airstrikes in Gaza on Sunday as international calls mounted for greater protection of civilians and the renewal of an expired truce with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The Israeli Army reported conducting more than 400 strikes in Gaza since the truce ended on Friday, with the Hamas government stating that at least 240 people had been killed.
Hamas and the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad announced “rocket barrages” against multiple Israeli cities and towns, including Tel Aviv. Israel reported that two of its soldiers had died in combat, marking the first casualties since the end of the truce.
At least seven people were killed in an Israeli bombing early Sunday near Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, according to Gaza’s government. Israeli strikes also hit the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza late Saturday, resulting in the deaths of at least 13 people, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
On Saturday, US Vice President Kamala Harris sharply rebuked the rising civilian toll in Israel’s eight-week war, sparked by an unprecedented attack on October 7.
‘Humanitarian Catastrophe’
An estimated 1.7 million people in Gaza, more than two-thirds of the population, have been displaced by the war, according to the United Nations. Gazans are facing shortages of food, water, and other essentials, and many homes have been destroyed. UN agencies have declared a humanitarian catastrophe, although some aid trucks did arrive on Saturday.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that Israel had instructed NGOs not to bring aid convoys across the Rafah border crossing from Egypt after the truce expired.
Negotiations
Israeli negotiators left Doha on Saturday after reaching a dead end in talks aimed at securing a fresh pause in hostilities. The Israeli Army stated that 137 hostages were still being held in Gaza.
Israeli hostages released from Gaza spoke publicly on Saturday for the first time, urging their government to secure the release of the remaining captives. “The moral obligation of this government is to bring them home immediately, without hesitation,” said Yocheved Lifschitz, 85, who was released by Hamas in October before the truce deal.
French President Emmanuel Macron appealed for “stepped-up efforts to reach a lasting ceasefire” to free all hostages, allow more aid, and assure Israel of its security. He took issue with Israel’s stated war aims, warning that if the “total destruction of Hamas” in Gaza was the goal, “the war will last 10 years.”
In Israel, several rallies took place on Saturday to demand the release of hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attack. According to Haaretz, the main rally was in Tel Aviv, where protesters called for another hostage deal and the removal of Netanyahu.
The Ground Campaign
“There is no way to win except by continuing the ground campaign, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters, emphasizing that this would be done while “observing international law.”
West Bank
In the occupied West Bank, the Israeli Army reported that troops shot dead a Palestinian at a checkpoint near the city of Nablus after he “drew a knife and started to advance towards them.”
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
