TEHRAN – Israel pressed for fatal artillery fire on Saturday against the Gaza Strip despite Hamas’ formal response to President Donald Trump’s proposed ceasefire plan. The attacks took place even when Trump urged Israel to “stop the Gaza bombing soon.”
At least 20 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Saturday. These latest deaths, along with dozens of deaths from previous strikes, have boosted the overall death toll of over 67,000 from Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, Gaza, according to Gaza health officials. More than 169,000 people have been injured since the conflict began in October 2023, but thousands remain missing under the tile ble in the bombed area. Rescue teams say the true number of deaths is much higher given the scale of the destruction and the limited access to many areas.
Figures from the Gaza government media office report that at least 20,000 minors have been killed since Israel began its war with the enclave. The ongoing Israeli lockdown has also sparked a humanitarian crisis, with star claiming more than 450 lives, including more than 150 children.
Despite growing international concerns, Israeli forces have repeated warnings that Northern Gaza, including Gaza City, where Gaza was destroyed, commemorates an active “combat zone.” The Army has urged its residents to flee south, but South Gaza is already overwhelmed by the fact that it is already packed into camps and shelters overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of displaced people. Many have been uprooted many times and endure a miserable shortage of food, water and medicine.
More than 400,000 people have fled from Northern Gaza to Southern Gaza since mid-August, when Israeli forces launched a new attack on Gaza city, according to the United Nations Humanitarian Cooperation Agency (OCHA). Most people are seeking evacuation from Diel El Bara and Khan Yunis, and are already struggling to deal with the influx.
On Friday, Hamas announced it had accepted several provisions from the White House’s 20-point ceasefire plan, including all prisoner releases, and other points said further negotiations would be needed. While President Trump and several world leaders welcomed the response, some analysts expressed cautionary optimism that one of the most deadly Gaza conflicts in modern history might eventually be resolved.