At least 17 Palestinians, including eight children and four women, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the central Gaza town of Zawayda on Saturday, according to health officials in the Hamas-administered enclave. The strike, which occurred overnight, is the latest in a series of escalating attacks as Israel intensifies its military campaign against Hamas. The tragic incident adds to the growing death toll in the region, which has seen tens of thousands of casualties since the conflict erupted last October.
"They were asleep in their beds, kids and babies, then three missiles targeted their place," said Abu Ahmed Hassan, a neighbor of the affected family. He described the owner of the house as a known merchant, asserting that there were no military activities in the vicinity. Israel's military has acknowledged the reports and is investigating the circumstances surrounding the strike.
The strike comes as Israel issued new evacuation orders for parts of central Gaza, including the Maghazi district near Zawayda, citing ongoing Hamas rocket fire from the area. The Israeli military has been actively targeting these locations, claiming that militants have been using them as launch sites for attacks on Israel. As a result, thousands of residents are reportedly fleeing the area, joining the millions already displaced by the conflict.
On Friday, the Israeli military expanded its evacuation orders in the southern city of Khan Younis, even within zones previously designated as humanitarian areas. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that these latest orders have affected approximately 170,000 displaced people, shrinking the size of the so-called "humanitarian area" in Gaza to just 11 percent of the territory's total area.
Amidst this intensifying military action, Israeli forces have advanced deeper into Gaza, particularly in the eastern area of Deir Al-Balah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge. The Israeli military claims that it has killed dozens of militants since Friday, including those responsible for launching rockets from central and southern Gaza. However, these claims are difficult to independently verify due to the chaotic situation on the ground.
The ongoing conflict, which began on October 7, has resulted in unprecedented levels of destruction and loss of life in Gaza. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 40,000, with over 92,000 people wounded. These figures, while staggering, have not been independently verified, and the ministry has faced criticism for not distinguishing between civilian and combatant casualties in its reports.
Ceasefire negotiations, mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, have been paused, with talks set to resume next week. The goal of these discussions is to reach an agreement that would not only end the fighting but also secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. U.S. President Joe Biden expressed cautious optimism on Friday, stating that a ceasefire and hostage release deal was "in sight" but warned that negotiations were "far from over."
Hamas, however, has dismissed reports of an imminent agreement as "deceptive claims." The militant group's attack on Israel on October 7, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in the capture of around 250 hostages, triggered the current military campaign. In response, Israel's relentless bombardment has laid waste to much of Gaza, leading to widespread devastation and humanitarian crises.
