Israeli gunfire killed at least 25 Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza on Wednesday, according to local health officials and witnesses, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would "allow" civilians to leave during a planned military offensive in some of the territory's most densely populated areas.
In an interview with Israeli TV channel i24NEWS, Netanyahu tied the proposal to U.S. President Donald Trump's previously stated vision for relocating much of Gaza's population. "Give them the opportunity to leave! First, from combat zones, and also from the strip if they want," Netanyahu said. "We are not pushing them out but allowing them to leave." Critics have condemned the idea as forced displacement.
The violence came as Israeli planes and tanks pounded eastern Gaza City, with the Gaza Health Ministry reporting 123 deaths in the past 24 hours - the highest daily toll in a week. Residents described heavy bombardment in Zeitoun and Shejaia, with Al-Ahli hospital confirming 12 fatalities in a single strike on a home.
At least 14 Palestinians were killed in the Teina area, about 3 kilometers from a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) food distribution site, Nasser hospital staff said. Witness Hashim Shamalah reported troops firing as crowds tried to pass. Five others were shot while approaching another GHF location in the Netzarim corridor, according to Awda hospital. The Israeli military said it was unaware of casualties in that area.
The Health Ministry also reported six more fatalities near the Morag corridor and said starvation-related deaths have risen to 235 people, including 106 children, since the war began. Israel disputes the figures, which the U.N. considers the most reliable available.
Ceasefire talks resumed Wednesday in Cairo between Hamas officials and Egyptian mediators. Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nounou said discussions aimed to "end the suffering of our people in Gaza." Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed a proposal for a 60-day truce, partial hostage release, and expanded humanitarian aid before broader political negotiations.
Hamas continues to demand a lasting ceasefire, prisoner releases, and an Israeli withdrawal, rejecting calls to disarm. Israel says around 20 of the 50 remaining hostages are believed to be alive. Netanyahu told i24NEWS he wants all hostages returned, "alive and dead."
In the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli settler gunfire killed 35-year-old Thamin Dawabshe near the village of Duma. The Israeli military said an off-duty soldier fired in self-defense after being pelted with rocks. The area has seen escalating violence from both settlers and Palestinians since the Gaza war began.
The conflict, triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 people and abducted 251, has displaced most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents. The Gaza Health Ministry says Israel's air and ground campaign has killed more than 61,700 people, roughly half of them women and children. Israel disputes those numbers but has not released its own casualty figures.
