Israel’s military unleashed heavy strikes on Gaza City on Wednesday ahead of an anticipated ground takeover, killing 123 people in the past day, according to the Gaza health ministry.
The 24-hour death toll which is the highest in a week, adds to the growing number of casualties from the nearly two-year conflict that has devastated the enclave of over 2 million Palestinians.
The escalation comes as Hamas continued talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo aimed at halting the fighting, delivering aid, and easing what the group called the “suffering of our people.”
Egyptian security sources said discussions also touched on a possible comprehensive ceasefire in which Hamas would relinquish control of Gaza and disarm — a proposal the group rejected unless Israel ends the war and withdraws.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his call, endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump, for Palestinians to leave Gaza voluntarily.
“They’re not being pushed out, they’ll be allowed to exit,” Netanyahu told i24NEWS.
Residents reported intense overnight bombardments in Zeitoun and Shejaia, where entire homes were flattened. Al-Ahli Hospital said 12 people were killed in a single strike in Zeitoun.
In southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, tanks demolished multiple houses, while gunfire killed nine civilians seeking aid in two separate incidents, Palestinian medics said. Israel’s military offered no immediate comment.
The health ministry also reported that eight more people, including three children, died of starvation or malnutrition in the past 24 hours, bringing such deaths to 235 since the war began.
Israel disputes those figures, accusing Hamas of stealing aid, while saying it has expanded deliveries through daily combat pauses and designated convoy routes.
The Israeli military said nearly 320 trucks entered Gaza via Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings on Wednesday, with the U.N. and aid groups distributing a similar number within the strip, alongside three fuel tankers and 97 pallets of air-dropped aid.
The U.N. and Palestinian officials maintain that supplies remain insufficient and increased pressure on Israel to do more for the residents.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Since then, Gaza’s health ministry says more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed.
Netanyahu’s plan to reoccupy Gaza City, possibly by October, has intensified global criticism over the humanitarian crisis. 24 nations this week urged Israel to allow unrestricted aid, warning of “unimaginable” suffering.
While Arab states back Palestinian Authority (PA) control in Gaza, Israel says it does not trust the body to rule.
But the PA says it is ready to assume responsibility, with no role for Hamas, and supports deploying an international peacekeeping force in the region.
