Israel launches new strikes on Gaza

Gaza City

Israel carried out at least 50 airstrikes across Gaza on Sunday, focusing heavily on eastern Gaza City after issuing forced evacuation orders.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 68 Palestinians were killed on Sunday alone, including 47 in Gaza City and northern areas. Overall, the ongoing war has claimed at least 56,500 Palestinian lives and injured over 133,000 people. In contrast, around 1,139 Israelis were killed during the October 7 attacks by Hamas, which also saw more than 200 hostages taken.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s Foreign Minister revealed ongoing efforts to broker a new ceasefire deal, which could involve a 60-day pause in fighting in exchange for the release of some Israeli captives.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chaired a high-level security meeting on Sunday in Beersheba to discuss Gaza operations and ceasefire prospects. However, the meeting reportedly ended without progress. Military sources indicated that Israel’s ground operations in Gaza may be nearing completion, as further advances could risk harming remaining hostages.

Despite this, Netanyahu remains firm on defeating Hamas while recovering hostages through military means. Mediators continue to push Israel to join negotiations in Cairo or Doha, but Israel prefers only a temporary truce, allowing for resumed operations afterward. In contrast, Hamas insists on a full and permanent end to the conflict.

The Israel Defense Forces announced they had killed Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa, one of Hamas’ military founders and a key planner of the October 7 attacks.

Elsewhere in Gaza, Israeli strikes killed at least 20 people, including nine children, in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he expects a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas "within a week" after speaking to people involved in negotiations. Trump suggested that Netanyahu may need to agree to a ceasefire to secure new normalization deals with Arab states.

International criticism of Israel’s military actions is mounting, especially after reports emerged that Israeli soldiers were ordered to shoot unarmed Palestinian civilians seeking aid.