At least 81 Palestinians have been killed and over 400 injured in Israeli strikes across Gaza in the 24 hours up to midday Saturday, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
In one devastating incident, at least 11 people, including children, were killed in a strike near Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, where displaced people were sheltering in tents, hospital staff and witnesses told news agencies. Verified footage showed civilians and emergency services digging through sand with bare hands and spades to recover bodies. The Israeli military stated it was unaware of civilian casualties, claiming the strike targeted “a suspicious individual who posed a threat” to its forces.
Another strike in the al-Mawasi area killed 14 people, including three children and their parents, who died in their sleep, relatives reported. A further eight people, including five children, were killed in an airstrike on the Tuffah neighbourhood near Jaffa School, where displaced Gazans were sheltering. The health ministry said rescue efforts were hampered by difficulties reaching victims trapped under rubble.
Ahmed Qishawi, a witness to the Gaza City strike, told Reuters: “This area was packed with tents – now the tents are under the sand. There are no wanted people here, only civilian residents, children, targeted with no mercy.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed it took steps to avoid civilian casualties and said it killed Hakham Muhammad Issa al-Issa, a senior Hamas military figure, in a Friday strike in Sabra, Gaza City. The IDF described him as a key planner of Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Since then, over 56,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Amid the violence, hopes for a ceasefire persist. US President Donald Trump expressed optimism for a deal within the next week, while Qatari mediators noted US pressure could help secure an agreement. This follows a truce between Israel and Iran that ended a 12-day conflict. However, a senior Hamas official told the BBC that ceasefire and hostage release talks remain stalled.
In Tel Aviv, a rally on Saturday evening demanded a deal to free remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Organisers called for an end to the fighting and a one-phase resolution to bring hostages home.
The conflict continues to draw international attention. The UN has condemned the dangers faced by Gaza’s aid operations, while recent Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank, killing three Palestinians, have further escalated tensions. Israel’s military operations in Gaza began in response to Hamas’s October 2023 attack, and the cycle of violence shows little sign of abating.
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