At least 17 Palestinians were killed on Sunday in renewed Israeli airstrikes across Gaza, according to medical sources. Two people lost their lives in an attack on the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, while a separate strike in the Daraj district left one woman injured. These latest fatalities follow a deadly Saturday that saw 37 people killed, including nine children, amid ongoing bombardments.
According to Gaza civil defense spokesperson Mahmud Bassal, 35 people were killed in seven air and drone strikes, while two others were fatally shot while waiting for food in the Netzarim corridor. In Jabalia, an airstrike on a residential home claimed the lives of three children, and six more were killed near a school sheltering displaced families in northeast Gaza City.
Israeli Army Orders Mass Evacuations
As the violence escalated, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for northern Gaza residents, urging them to move south to the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, designated by Israel as a “humanitarian zone.” However, both Palestinian officials and the United Nations continue to stress that no area in Gaza is safe due to ongoing airstrikes and deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
“The Israel Defense Forces is operating with extreme force in these areas,” read a statement shared on X and via mass text messages. “Operations will intensify and extend westward to destroy the capabilities of terrorist organizations.”
The evacuation directive covers Jabalia and large parts of Gaza City. In the early hours of Sunday, multiple homes were destroyed in Jabalia, killing at least six people, while five others were reported dead in an airstrike on a tent encampment near Al-Mawasi in the south.
Trump Weighs In, Urges Ceasefire
As the war grinds into its 21st month, former US President Donald Trump joined international voices calling for an end to the conflict. “Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Sunday morning, referring to renewed talks aimed at securing a truce and the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to hold consultations with security officials Sunday to assess the campaign’s progress. According to one senior official, the military will warn Netanyahu that expanding the operation further could jeopardize the safety of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
Ceasefire Negotiations Resume
Backed by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, new diplomatic efforts are underway to halt the fighting and negotiate a hostage release deal. A Hamas official confirmed to Reuters that the group is open to restarting talks but reiterated its condition: any agreement must result in a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
Israel, meanwhile, insists the war can only end once Hamas is dismantled and disarmed—a condition Hamas refuses.
Rising Civilian Toll and Humanitarian Crisis
Amid the renewed escalation, humanitarian agencies have once again raised alarms about mass civilian displacements under fire, especially as Al-Mawasi—now designated a “safe zone”—is already severely overcrowded with internally displaced families.
In a grim indicator of Gaza’s deteriorating humanitarian situation, authorities reported that at least 66 children have died from malnutrition during the war. Gaza’s media office condemned the deaths as a war crime, accusing Israel of deliberately using starvation as a weapon.
“This is an ongoing crime against childhood in the Gaza Strip,” the statement said, adding that international silence had enabled the unfolding catastrophe. It also placed blame on Israel’s Western allies—specifically the US, UK, France, and Germany—for complicity in the crisis.
Gaza officials have called on the United Nations to take immediate action and open border crossings to allow the delivery of critical food and medical supplies.
War on Gaza: A Deadly Toll
Israel’s military campaign against Gaza, which began in October 2023, has left at least 61,709 Palestinians dead, including 17,492 children. Over 111,000 people have been injured, and more than 14,000 remain missing and are presumed dead, according to local authorities.
International legal bodies have begun to respond. In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Separately, Israel faces genocide charges at the International Court of Justice over its conduct in Gaza.
As international pressure mounts and diplomacy resumes, the death toll continues to rise—underscoring the urgent need for a sustainable, humanitarian resolution to the prolonged and devastating conflict.
