Israeli strikes kill nearly 800 in Gaza since war resumed
Shafaq News/ Israeli airstrikes have killed 792 Palestinians in Gaza over the past week, the Strip’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
The latest figures bring the overall toll since the war started on October 7, 2023, to 50,144 killed and 113,704 injured, mostly women and children.
The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders for several areas, including Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, and Shejaia in Gaza City, displacing more than 124,000 people in recent days, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
The United Nations said it would reduce its presence in Gaza after an Israeli strike on a UN compound in Deir Al-Balah injured several staff members. Secretary-General António Guterres said the decision was made in response to “growing risks facing humanitarian workers on the ground.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed the renewed offensive is aimed at “pressuring Hamas to release the 59 hostages still held in Gaza.”
In turn, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that if the captives are not freed, Israel will escalate its ground operations and continue fighting until Hamas is defeated. “Our main goal now is to return all the kidnapped people home,” Katz said in a video statement.
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff blamed Hamas for the collapse of ceasefire negotiations, accusing the group of rejecting efforts to reach a deal. “They had every opportunity to demilitarize, to accept the bridging proposal,” he told reporters.
However, Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif al-Qanoua denied rejecting Witkoff's deal, stating, “Witkoff’s proposal was on the negotiating table, and Hamas engaged with it positively, but Netanyahu restarted the war to scuttle the deal."
