The death toll of Palestinians in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza increased to 32 on Sunday, including 6 children, while Israel announced it had neutralized (killed) military leaders of the Islamic Jihad movement. An updated report from the Gaza Health Ministry indicated that 32 people have been killed, including 6 children, since Friday due to the Israeli strikes on Gaza, and 215 others have been injured. However, Israeli authorities question this toll, asserting that some Palestinian children were killed late Saturday in Jabalia due to a missile fired by the Islamic Jihad towards Israel that failed to achieve its target.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid stated that "Israeli security forces did not bomb Jabalia in recent hours." The Israeli army announced on Saturday that it was preparing for "a week" of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip targeting the Islamic Jihad, confirming that 15 fighters in the movement had been killed. Among the dead was a leader of the movement, Taysir al-Ja'bari, killed on Friday in Gaza City, and Khaled Mansour, whose death was confirmed by Islamic Jihad on Saturday during an airstrike in Rafah. The Gaza Interior Ministry reported that this airstrike resulted in a total of 8 fatalities.
Meanwhile, Israeli army operations chief Oded Basiuk confirmed that "the senior leadership of the military wing of Islamic Jihad in Gaza has been neutralized." For his part, Mohammad Hindi, a leader in the armed group launching rockets towards Israeli territory, stated that "the battle is still in its early stages."
This renewed confrontation, which began on Friday, is the worst between Israel and armed factions in Gaza since the May 2021 war, which resulted in the deaths of 260 Palestinians, including militants, over 11 days. It also resulted in the deaths of 14 individuals in Israel, including a soldier, according to Israeli authorities.
Meanwhile, Egyptian sources reported that Cairo, the historical mediator between Israel and the armed factions in Gaza, is currently attempting to initiate mediation. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi stated in a speech that he is working tirelessly to restore calm between the Palestinians and the Israelis. However, on the ground, the exchange of fire continued late Saturday into Sunday in Gaza. An Israeli military spokesperson stated that Israel "is not currently negotiating a ceasefire."
The Israeli army began bombarding the beleaguered enclave of Gaza, home to 2.3 million people, on Friday in a "preemptive strike" against the Islamic Jihad. In response, around 400 rocket and mortar rounds were fired from Gaza towards Israel in recent hours, according to an Israeli official. Most of them were intercepted, the official claimed, while rescuers reported two individuals sustained minor injuries from shrapnel.
On Saturday afternoon, air raid sirens were activated in Tel Aviv for the first time since the escalation began. The exchange of bombardment has deprived the besieged Gaza Strip, bordered by Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, of its only power plant. The electricity company stated on Saturday that it had "ceased operations due to fuel shortages." Israel has closed border crossings in recent days and effectively halted diesel shipments to Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry warned that the coming hours would be "critical and difficult," warning of the risk of vital services shutting down within 72 hours due to a lack of electricity.
