In the wake of a significant increase in rocket attacks by Hamas, Israel has ramped up its air strikes in Gaza. Prime Minister Netanyahu has ordered a strong military response, leading to rising casualties, including a Palestinian journalist. Efforts for a ceasefire continue amidst ongoing conflict.
Escalation in Gaza: Air Strikes Intensify Amid Heavy Rocket Fire from Hamas
Escalation in Gaza: Air Strikes Intensify Amid Heavy Rocket Fire from Hamas
Israel responds with air strikes following one of the most substantial barrages of rocket fire from Hamas in recent months, resulting in casualties on both sides.
Israeli air strikes have intensified in Gaza following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's directive for retaliation against one of the heaviest barrages of rocket fire by Hamas in recent months. The Israeli military reported that approximately half of the ten rockets launched from Gaza landed in Israel on Sunday, with the other half intercepted. The attack resulted in injuries, including one individual hurt by debris falling from Israeli defenses.
Netanyahu's call for a "strong response" came as he traveled to Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, more than 56 Palestinians have died due to Israeli actions in the past 24 hours. Among the casualties was a Palestinian journalist, Helmi al-Faqaawi of Palestine Today TV, who was killed alongside nine others when an air strike hit a media tent in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have not commented on this incident. The Nasser hospital, the largest operational hospital in the area, has also been targeted multiple times since the war began in October.
The IDF had stated that they hit the rocket launch site and had ordered residents in several areas of Deir al-Balah to evacuate, warning of severe strikes on locations from which rockets were fired. The escalating violence follows Hamas's assertion that the rocket fire was retaliation for what they describe as Israeli "massacres of civilians."
Footage from Ashkelon, a southern Israeli city, shows the aftermath of the rocket attacks, which inflicted damage and injuries. While rocket fire from Hamas had significantly reduced after a few months of conflict, the latest barrages indicate a continued capability.
Further air strikes targeted locations across Gaza overnight, following the attack on the launchers, with media reports indicating strikes in various regions. Diplomatic efforts to establish a ceasefire are ongoing, led by French President Emmanuel Macron in talks with leaders from Egypt and Jordan.
Netanyahu's discussions with Trump will address the ongoing war in Gaza, as well as ongoing efforts to secure the release of 59 hostages held by Hamas. The current conflict escalated after a significant attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which resulted in around 1,200 Israeli casualties and the abduction of others. The Hamas-run health ministry claims that over 50,750 Palestinians have been killed throughout the Israeli offensive since that fateful day.
