The Israeli military said Sunday that it had struck more than 100 “terror targets” in the Gaza Strip over the past two days, while rescuers in the Palestinian territory reported dozens of people killed in Israeli strikes.
Several of the strikes targeted sites from which Palestinian militants had been firing projectiles into Israel in recent days, the military said. “The IAF (air force) struck over 100 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip, and eliminated dozens of Hamas terrorists” in the past two days, a military statement said.
Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that on Saturday more than 30 people were killed in Israeli strikes. Last week, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned of intensified Israeli strikes if the incoming rocket fire continued. The renewed fire from Gaza has triggered air raid sirens in Israeli communities that were largely destroyed during Hamas’s October 2023 attack. Though less frequent than in the early days of the nearly 15-month-long war, there has been a recent spate of launches by militants in the devastated Palestinian territory.
The latest violence in Gaza comes as indirect negotiations for a hostage release deal and ceasefire had resumed in Qatar. Mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been engaged for months in efforts to strike a deal to end the war and secure the release of dozens of hostages still held in Gaza.
Hamas says
The Israeli military has carried out 94 airstrikes and shelling in the Gaza Strip in the last 72 hours, killing 184 people, the Hamas-run Gaza Media Office said on Saturday evening.
In a statement issued by the office, it called the attacks targeting unarmed civilians and residential areas, especially Gaza City, “dangerous and brutal.” Many of those killed or injured are trapped under rubble, and damaged infrastructure has hampered their access to hospitals and recovery. Palestinian civil defense officials in Gaza confirmed that Israeli airstrikes have intensified violently over the past three days, in what local residents described as an exceptionally difficult time.
The statement held the Israeli military fully responsible for these “horrific attacks” and criticized the US administration for providing weapons and political support to Israel. It called on the international community and the UN Security Council to fulfill their legal and moral obligations by sending independent investigative teams to document these “heinous crimes” and ensure accountability for the perpetrators. The Israeli airstrikes on Gaza began on Thursday morning after Israeli Defense Minister Katz warned on Wednesday of “comprehensive force” if Hamas did not release the hostages and stop firing rockets into Israel.
Israel has been waging a large-scale military campaign against Hamas in Gaza since hostilities began on October 7, 2023. The war has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. More than 1,200 Israelis were killed and nearly 250 were kidnapped in Hamas attacks in southern Israel.
