Palestinians reported that Israel intensified its bombing of Gaza last night and today, resulting in at least 40 deaths, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the only way to ensure the release of hostages is through intensified military pressure on Hamas. The Israeli attacks came amid fierce fighting along the coastal enclave, according to residents and militants, with communications cut off for the fourth day, making it difficult to reach the injured.
The Palestinian Red Crescent stated on its social media platform X that "the communication blackout in Gaza is the longest since the onset of Israeli escalation," adding that the bombings have also hampered their teams' operations. An informed source reported that the head of Israeli intelligence held talks on Friday with the Prime Minister of Qatar, who previously mediated the release of hostages in exchange for a week-long ceasefire and the release of imprisoned Palestinians. However, militants stated that they would not discuss the release of more hostages taken during the attack on southern Israel on October 7, while Israel continues its comprehensive war on Gaza launched in response.
The violence has escalated with no signs of a resolution. Al-Aqsa Radio, affiliated with Hamas, quoted the director of the Gaza Health Ministry as saying that an Israeli missile strike on a home belonging to the Shehab family killed 24 people and injured dozens in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. Immediate comment from health officials was unavailable, but a paramedic stated that dozens were killed or injured in the Shehab house and other neighboring homes that were also bombed. He said over the phone, "Jabalia was bombarded during the night by tanks, planes, and from the sea; it has been under a brutal war for days, and people are dying in the streets while we cannot reach them." He explained that contact was made via external networks, refusing to give his name for fear of Israeli retaliation. He added, "We believe that the death toll under the rubble is high, but there is no way to lift the rubble and rescue them due to the intensity of Israeli fire."
In Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, paramedics reported that 12 Palestinians were killed and dozens were injured, while in Rafah in southern Gaza, they stated that an Israeli airstrike left at least four dead. Israel claimed it conducted operations against "terrorist" targets. Gaza health officials report that around 19,000 Palestinians have been killed, with thousands buried under the rubble of Israeli airstrikes since October 7, when Israel stated that Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages in a surprise attack.
### Israeli Casualties
The Israeli army announced on Sunday that 121 soldiers have been killed since the start of the ground campaign on October 27, when tanks and infantry began to advance into Gaza cities and refugee camps. Netanyahu read during the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday a message he said was written by relatives of the fallen soldiers. They were quoted saying, "You have a mandate to fight. You do not have a mandate to stop in the middle," to which he responded, "We will fight to the end." The death toll has already nearly doubled compared to the ground offensive in 2014, reflecting the extent of Israel's incursion into the enclave and Hamas's effective use of guerrilla warfare and an expanded arsenal of weapons.
The Israeli army stated that its ground forces found weapons and a tunnel used by fighters to attack troops in Shujaiya, a suburb of Gaza City to the north, and destroyed a weapons storage facility in a home belonging to a Hamas leader. The military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, a Hamas ally, declared that its fighters targeted Israeli forces in the Zeitoun neighborhood north of Gaza City with mortars. Residents reported that activists also clashed with Israeli forces in central Khan Younis in the south, while Israeli tanks shelled al-Mughraqa and al-Juhor al-Deek in central Gaza, where fighting with Hamas militants has intensified in recent days. In Khan Younis, residents reported hearing the sounds of Israeli planes and tanks, as well as missile fire from Hamas fighters.
Paramedics stated that Israeli forces bombed the yard of Nasser Hospital in the city and the surrounding areas, in a new air raid on a school there on Sunday morning. The Israeli army stated that it killed seven "terrorists" in an airstrike on Khan Younis and discovered components for manufacturing rockets and three tunnel openings near a school used as a shelter. It also stated it bombed the office of a local Hamas leader and took control of Bani Suheila Square in the city center. Israel claims it is doing its utmost to avoid hitting civilians in its efforts to eliminate Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2006 and has sworn to obliterate Israel.
### Netanyahu Promises to Fight Until Victory
Netanyahu stated yesterday that the war in Gaza is an existential one and must be fought until victory and that the enclave should be disarmed and under Israeli security control. He said at a press conference, "The instructions I give my negotiating team are based on this pressure, without which we have nothing," avoiding a question about a meeting in Europe between intelligence chief David Barnea and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Barnea returned to Israel shortly after.
The killing of three hostages by Israeli forces due to friendly fire has increased pressure on Netanyahu to find a way to secure the release of those held by Hamas. Hamas reiterated that it would not negotiate any exchange "unless the aggression against our people stops completely." In Rafah in southern Gaza, people rushed to help rescue families trapped under the rubble of a building that housed dozens, including some displaced from the north who followed the Israeli military's warnings to move south to avoid ground operations. Mahmoud Jarbo, who lives nearby, said the sound of the explosion was "like an earthquake." He added, "We were sitting in the house when suddenly rubble fell on us, and people were screaming and rushing into the street."
