Israel strikes over 100 targets in Gaza as Netanyahu heads to Washington
The escalation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to travel to Washington for White House talks aimed at advancing a potential ceasefire agreement.
Hospital officials in Gaza said 20 people were killed and 25 wounded in two separate Israeli strikes on residential homes in Gaza City.
In the southern coastal area of Muwasi, 18 more Palestinians — including members of two families — were killed in overnight bombings, according to medical teams at Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis. Many of the victims were living in makeshift tents after months of displacement.
The Israeli military confirmed it had struck 130 targets across Gaza, including what it described as Hamas command centers, weapons caches, and rocket launchers.
It claimed several militants were killed in the northern part of the enclave but did not comment on the reported civilian casualties in individual strikes.
The renewed bombardment comes as U.S. President Donald Trump promotes a proposed 60-day ceasefire plan.
The deal would include a partial release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for increased humanitarian access to Gaza, where acute shortages of food, fuel, and medicine have pushed the enclave to the brink of collapse.
On Saturday night, Israel's security cabinet approved the delivery of aid to northern Gaza, a region that has experienced severe famine conditions. An Israeli official confirmed the decision but declined to elaborate, speaking anonymously due to media restrictions.
In parallel regional developments, Yemen's Houthi rebel group claimed responsibility for launching ballistic missiles targeting Israel's Ben Gurion Airport. The Israeli military said all missiles were intercepted and caused no casualties.
Netanyahu's office said an Israeli delegation will head to Qatar on Sunday to participate in indirect negotiations with Hamas, amid reports that the group had requested 'unacceptable' changes to the current draft deal.
The prime minister is set to meet Trump in Washington on Monday. It remains unclear whether an agreement can be reached before that meeting.
Hamas has demanded international guarantees that any temporary truce would evolve into a full ceasefire and include the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Netanyahu, however, has publicly rejected those terms, reiterating that military operations would resume until Hamas is fully dismantled.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages.
Since then, Israel's offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The toll includes large numbers of women and children, though the ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians. — Agencies
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