"Saraya al-Quds" announced the shelling of "Israeli troop concentrations in Kisufim and near Umm Hassaniya Hill with rockets and mortar shells." The group also reported the targeting of "Israeli forces in Nirim, the Miftaahim complex, and Sofah with rocket barrages and mortar fire." The Israeli Home Front stated that "siren alarms were sounding in Nirim and Nahal Oz due to a large rocket attack." Meanwhile, two Israeli army spokespersons stated in separate press conferences that the army is waiting for a "political decision" regarding the timing of the expected ground attack on the Gaza Strip. The military spokespersons, Lieutenant Richard Hecht and Daniel Hagari, clarified that this "political decision" would trigger any action against Hamas in response to the attacks on October 7, which resulted in over 1,300 deaths in Israel. Hecht stated, "We are having discussions with our political leadership."
On Sunday, the Israeli forces launched a series of intense airstrikes on various areas in the Gaza Strip. Earlier, Israeli airstrikes targeted the home of Al-Hayat Al-Jadida channel reporter Moamen Al-Tala, resulting in the deaths of all his children, uncles, and siblings, while he, his wife, and mother sustained varying injuries and fractures. The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the number of casualties from the Israeli aggression has risen to over 2,329, including at least 700 children and 400 women, with over 9,042 citizens injured, including more than 2,000 children and 1,400 women, along with 55 deaths in the West Bank and over 1,200 injuries.
A spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry stated that "the Israeli army focuses on residential neighborhoods, knowing that the health system cannot cope with the consequences of the shelling," stressing that "the health system in the Gaza Strip is extremely fragile and lacks medical resources." Israeli forces intensified their bombings across Gaza, targeting civilian homes in various areas, which has led to hundreds of deaths and injuries, with numbers continuing to rise, marking the largest Israeli massacre against the besieged population since 2014. Additionally, the Gaza Ministry of Interior announced that "dozens of victims are trapped under the rubble, and retrieving their bodies is beyond our capabilities," mentioning that "there are neighborhoods under the rubble that we cannot reach and urgently need external assistance."
In contrast, Israeli media reported that "the majority of Sderot's 30,000 residents left the city after a week of continuous bombardment." A spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Israel indicated that "the United States is offering American citizens residing in Israel and their relatives evacuation by sea from Haifa to Cyprus tomorrow, Monday," confirming details provided in a guide published online on Sunday. The Israeli army announced that it would continue to allow Palestinian civilians fleeing combat in the Gaza Strip to move south within the territory, adding that hundreds of thousands have already responded to the Israeli evacuation order. It confirmed that at least 279 of its soldiers have been killed since October 7, with a confirmed number of 126 hostages in Gaza.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced that "intelligence-guided warplanes managed to eliminate Bilal Al-Quddah, commander of Hamas's elite unit in the battalion south of Khan Younis, who was responsible for the attack in Nirim and Nahal Oz. Additionally, several other Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists were eliminated." Adraee revealed that "during the past night, the Israeli army attacked over a hundred military targets in the Zeitoun neighborhood, Khan Younis, and western Jabalia to weaken Hamas's capabilities, including command centers, military complexes, dozens of rocket launch sites, and anti-tank missile emplacements."
In a related context, data and sources showed that the backlog of ships is increasing at Israeli ports as operations continue at most terminals, with the Israeli army preparing to launch a ground attack on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
