Israel Intensifies Airstrikes in Gaza Amid Ceasefire Talks
Israel launched renewed airstrikes across Gaza, shortly after Hamas expressed willingness to begin discussions on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day pause in hostilities.
The announcement by the armed group raised cautious optimism that an agreement could soon be reached to halt the violence in Gaza, potentially bringing an end to the nearly two-year conflict.
Saturday saw a relative lull compared to recent days of heavy bombardment, according to aid workers and residents, though hospital reports indicated that 24 Palestinians were killed, including 10 people seeking humanitarian assistance.
Airstrikes in the Mawasi coastal area of southern Gaza struck tents, killing seven, among them a Palestinian doctor and his three children, medical staff at a nearby hospital reported. Four others were killed in Bani Suheila, and three more died in separate strikes in Khan Younis.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not immediately comment on the attacks.
Israel’s security cabinet was scheduled to convene Saturday evening, but officials in Jerusalem noted there was no certainty that ministers would reach a decision regarding Hamas’s response to the ceasefire proposal.
In a separate incident, two US-based workers with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) were injured in southern Gaza after unidentified assailants hurled grenades at them during a food distribution effort, the organization stated.
The GHF, a privately funded group that recently began distributing food aid in Gaza, has faced scrutiny. UN Secretary-General António Guterres previously criticized its operations as unsafe and accused it of causing harm, accusations the GHF denies, asserting it has safely delivered millions of meals.
In recent weeks, scores of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire or shelling near aid distribution sites or while waiting for UN convoys, which are frequently stopped and looted.
Aid organizations in Gaza have renewed calls for an immediate end to the conflict, warning that dwindling fuel reserves could soon paralyze humanitarian efforts, healthcare systems, and communications. Most of Gaza’s power supply depends on generators running on diesel.
“We’re down to roughly half a day’s worth of fuel. Once it’s gone, everything will shut down,” said one aid worker in Deir al-Balah.
Israel enforced a stringent blockade on Gaza for 11 weeks after the last ceasefire collapsed in March, permitting only limited food and medical supplies into the territory while prohibiting fuel shipments. Remaining supplies are often inaccessible due to Israeli control or conflict zones.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington for discussions with US President Donald Trump on Sunday.
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