Pressure grows over civilian casualties as Israel steps up Gaza strikes
Israel’s military said on Monday that Israeli fighter jets struck 450 Hamas targets in Gaza, and troops seized a militant compound in the past 24 hours in attacks that killed dozens of people.
A Reuters journalist in the Gaza Strip described the overnight bombardment from the air, ground, and sea as one of the most intense since Israel launched its offensive in response to a surprise attack by Hamas on southern Israel a month ago.
Health officials in Hamas-controlled Gaza said more than 9,770 Palestinians have been killed in the war since Hamas killed 1,400 people and seized more than 240 hostages on October 7.
Israel, which said its forces have encircled Gaza City, faces mounting pressure to avoid civilian casualties after refusing to countenance a ceasefire until the hostages are released.
However, the U.S. diplomatic blitz in the region is intended to reduce the risks of the conflict escalating.
The health ministry in Gaza said dozens of people were killed by the Israeli air strikes in Gaza City and further south in Gaza neighbourhoods, such as Zawaida and Deir Al-Balah. Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV quoted medical sources as saying at least 75 Palestinians were killed and 106 hurt in the attacks.
The Israeli army said its strikes hit “tunnels, terrorists, military compounds, observation posts, and anti-tank missile launch posts”.
Ground troops killed several Hamas fighters while taking a militant compound containing observation posts, training areas, and underground tunnels, it said.
Reuters could not independently verify these accounts.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to meet Turkey’s foreign minister in Ankara, hours after hundreds of people at a pro-Palestinian protest tried to storm an air base that houses U.S. troops in southern Turkey.
Mr Blinken made an unannounced visit to the West Bank on Sunday to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who joined international calls for an immediate ceasefire.
He reiterated U.S. concerns that a ceasefire could aid Hamas, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled one out for now.
(Reuters/NAN)
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