GAZA: Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes and gunfire killed at least 17 people including three children in the war-stricken Palestinian territory on Sunday. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that 16 people died in air strikes at five locations around the Gaza Strip, and another from Israeli fire near an aid distribution centre. The Israeli military said that it was not able to comment on the reported incidents but said it was fighting "to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" in a campaign launched in 2023 against the Palestinian group whose attack on Israel triggered the war.
Restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers. Bassal said two children were killed in an air strike on their home in Gaza City's Zeitun neighbourhood in the early morning, and "the house was completely destroyed." A member of the family, Abdel Rahman Azzam, 45, said that he was at home and "heard a huge explosion at my relative's house". "I rushed out in panic and saw the house destroyed and on fire," he added. "We evacuated more than 20 injured people, including two martyrs -- two children from the family. The screams of children and women were non-stop," Azzam said. "They bombed the house with a missile without any prior warning. This is a horrific crime. We sleep without knowing if we will wake up."
Elsewhere, Bassal said a drone strike on a tent housing displaced people near the southern city of Khan Yunis killed five people including a child. He said that other casualties included a young man killed "by Israeli fire while waiting for aid" near a humanitarian distribution centre in the southern city of Rafah.
The Israeli military issued an evacuation order on Sunday for parts of Gaza City and nearby areas in the territory's north, warning of imminent action there. The military "will operate with intense force in these areas, and these military operations will intensify and expand... to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organisations", military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement posted on X. He told residents to "evacuate immediately south" to Al Mawasi area on the coast. The civil defence agency later said an Israeli air strike hit a house in Gaza City, killing three people.
Israel launched its offensive in October 2023 in response to Hamas attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,412 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable. After claiming victory in a 12-day war against Iran that ended with a ceasefire on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it would refocus on its offensive in Gaza, where Palestinians still hold Israeli hostages.
US President Donald Trump voiced optimism on Friday about a new ceasefire in Gaza, as criticism grew over mounting civilian deaths at Israeli-backed food distribution centres in the territory. Asked by reporters how close a ceasefire was between Israel and Hamas, Trump said: "We think within the next week, we're going to get a ceasefire." The United States brokered a ceasefire in the devastating conflict in the waning days of former president Joe Biden's administration, with support from Trump's incoming team. — AFP
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