Israel kills 50 in Gaza as calls for ceasefire mount
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Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 51 people, including 24 at a seafront rest area, as fresh calls grow for a ceasefire in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
The swift resolution of Israel's 12-day war with Iran has revived hopes for a halt to the fighting in Gaza, where more than 20 months of combat have created dire humanitarian conditions for the population of more than two million.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House on July 7, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 51 people, including 24 at a seafront rest area, as fresh calls grow for a ceasefire in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
The swift resolution of Israel's 12-day war with Iran has revived hopes for a halt to the fighting in Gaza, where more than 20 months of combat have created dire humanitarian conditions for the population of more than two million.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House on July 7, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Simultaneously, Israeli forces launched pre-dawn raids across the occupied West Bank, arresting at least 21 Palestinians. Detainees were taken from Hebron, Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, and Bethlehem.
In Washington, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said US President Donald Trump is in constant communication with Israeli leadership and is committed to ending the war.
Read: US approves $510m sale of bomb guidance kits to Israel following Iran conflict
'It's heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza... the president wants to see it end. He wants to save lives,' she told reporters.
Trump is set to host Netanyahu next Monday for talks at the White House, with discussions expected to cover Gaza, Iran, and regional security.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is in Washington this week for talks with senior US officials on regional diplomacy, Gaza, and the aftermath of Israel's 12-day conflict with Iran last month.
Earlier on Monday, nearly 40 people were killed in the deadliest single attack of the week, when an Israeli airstrike hit the al-Baqa café, a popular venue along Gaza City's coastal promenade.
The site had become one of the few remaining social gathering spaces in the besieged enclave.
Read more: US-dispatched flour bags laced with narcotics: Gazan authorities
Children were attending a birthday party at the time of the strike. Palestinian journalist Ismail Abu Hatab was also among the dead.
On Tuesday, an Israeli military spokesperson told AFP the incident was under review, adding: 'Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians using aerial surveillance.'
A UN report has named over 60 companies it alleges are involved in supporting Israeli settlements and military actions in Gaza, calling the conflict a "genocidal campaign."
Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, compiled the report after receiving over 200 submissions from states, companies, academics, and rights groups.
'While life in Gaza is being obliterated... this report shows why Israel's genocide continues: because it is lucrative for many,' Albanese wrote. She accused firms of being 'financially bound to Israel's apartheid and militarism.'
The report calls for legal accountability for executives and demands companies cease all dealings with Israel linked to the military campaign.
Israel's war on Gaza
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has killed more than 56,500 Palestinians in a deadly onslaught in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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