Israeli airstrikes killed at least 23 Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday, including a senior rescue service official and a journalist, local health authorities said.
The latest casualties were reported in separate Israeli strikes on the southern city of Khan Younis, the northern Jabalia refugee camp, and the central Nuseirat camp, medics said.
In Jabalia, local journalist Hassan Majdi Abu Warda and several family members were killed when an airstrike hit his house. In Nuseirat, another airstrike killed Ashraf Abu Nar, a senior official in Gaza’s civil emergency services, and his wife.
The Gaza media office said Abu Warda’s death brings the total number of journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 to 220.
In a statement, the Israeli military said its chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, visited troops in Khan Younis on Sunday, telling them that “this is not an endless war” and that Hamas had lost most of its leadership and control infrastructure. “We will deploy every tool at our disposal to bring the hostages home, dismantle Hamas and end its rule,” Zamir said. The military statement did not mention the specific strikes on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s media office said Israeli forces now control 77% of the Gaza Strip through ground operations, bombardments, and evacuation orders that have forced residents to flee.
The armed wings of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said their fighters carried out multiple attacks against Israeli forces in Gaza on Sunday, using explosives and anti-tank rockets.
Israel launched its air and ground assault on Gaza after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023, and took 251 hostages. Gaza health authorities say the conflict has killed more than 53,900 Palestinians and devastated the territory, while aid groups report widespread malnutrition.