On Saturday, a series of Israeli airstrikes resulted in significant casualties in Gaza and the West Bank, exacerbating the already heightened tensions in the region. An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced persons in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood killed at least 15 Palestinians. This attack came just hours after two strikes in the occupied West Bank, which resulted in the deaths of nine militants, including a local Hamas commander.
The Israeli military asserted that the school in Gaza was being used by Hamas as a command center for hiding militants and manufacturing weapons. However, Hamas has strongly denied these claims, accusing Israel of targeting civilian facilities and not providing any evidence to support its allegations.
In the West Bank, the Israeli military reported that the first airstrike hit a vehicle in a town near Tulkarm, targeting a militant cell reportedly en route to carry out an attack. According to Hamas, one of those killed was a commander of its Tulkarm brigades, while the ally Islamic Jihad identified the other four as its fighters. The second airstrike in the same area targeted another group of militants who had allegedly fired on Israeli troops during what was described by the military as a counterterrorism operation.
Earlier on Saturday, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza also resulted in additional casualties, with six people killed in a house in Rafah and two others in Gaza City, according to local health officials. The Israeli military claimed these strikes were aimed at militants and Hamas infrastructure in the enclave.
The recent escalation in violence comes amid broader regional tensions involving Israel, Iran, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The US, along with international partners such as France, Britain, Italy, and Egypt, have been engaged in diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation of the conflict.
In response to the ongoing conflict, Hamas has initiated a “broad consultation process” to appoint a new leader following the recent assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Both Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the assassination and have vowed retaliation, though Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.
The death toll among Palestinians in Gaza has risen significantly, with Gaza health officials reporting at least 39,550 deaths due to the Israeli military campaign. This offensive was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the abduction of 250, according to Israeli figures.
On the diplomatic front, a high-level Israeli delegation visited Cairo briefly on Saturday in an attempt to revive ceasefire negotiations. The visit was short, and the officials returned to Israel within hours. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has accused Hamas of trying to alter the terms of a potential agreement, referring to a proposal by US President Joe Biden laid out in May. Hamas, on the other hand, has accused Netanyahu of stalling efforts to end the war.
