Israeli air strikes Gaza hit the fifth day, killing nearly 100 Palestinians, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to continue negotiations to end the war with Hamas.
Netanyahu's far-right security agency authorized a new offensive that began on Tuesday with the Gaza chief in Hamas, authorizing the capture of most of the enclaves and forcing its 21,000 civilians into one tenth of the Egyptian border.
But Netanyahu also imposed military operations as part of a new strategy to “negotiate in the fire” that threatens Hamas to permanently lose territory unless armed groups are under pressure by freeing Israeli hostages without a permanent armistice.
“Even at this time, the negotiation team in Doha is working to exhaust all opportunities for deals – whether based on (US) proposals or within the framework of ending the fight, which includes the release of all hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the deprofessionalization of striptease,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Sunday morning.
According to local health officials, the Israeli military has killed hundreds of Palestinians since the launch of Gideon's chariot this week, including at least 350 people in the past three days. According to preliminary calculations by the Ministry of Health, the bodies of 96 people were taken to a few hospitals in Gaza by noon Sunday and by noon Sunday.
It also blocked food, medicine and fresh water from entering Gaza for more than two and a half months. The UN team said earlier this week that thousands of Palestinians had starved to death.
Israel has not confirmed whether its strike at European hospitals on Tuesday killed the intended target Mohammad Sinwar, who took over the in-rope of militant groups as Israel killed his brother, Yahya Sinwar, a longtime Hamas leader who orchestrated the October 7 cross-border raid.
But two Saudi news outlets reported on Sunday that Singwar was killed during a strike. Israeli media reported that Defense Minister Katz also gave the same introduction to local officials. According to the death notice shared by Gaza, Singwar’s other brother is a professor at a local university.
Israel intensified the air attack earlier this week when U.S. President Donald Trump ended his trip to the Gulf.
Israeli officials earlier called his trip a "window of opportunity" to swap Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, something Netanyahu and his far-right allies could accept. In this case, Trump negotiated the release of an Israeli soldier who is also a U.S. national.
An estimated 20 hostages and as many as 38 bodies remain in possession by Hamas, who refused to release them without a complete ceasefire and completely evacuate Israeli forces.
According to local health officials, more than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, most of whom are women and children.
According to Israeli officials, at least 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 250 were taken hostage in the cross-border attack in Hamas on October 7, 2023.