Israeli airstrikes kill over 100 in Gaza as ceasefire talks continue

At least 100 Palestinians were killed overnight in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, according to local health authorities on Sunday, as indirect ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas resumed with no significant progress.

The Israeli military, which has expanded its operations in recent days in preparation for a new ground offensive aimed at securing "operational control" over parts of Gaza, did not immediately comment. Since Thursday, hundreds have been killed in intensified bombardments.

"We have at least 100 martyrs since overnight. Entire families have been erased from the civil registry," Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Khalil Al-Deqran told Reuters by phone.

Israel has blocked the entry of food, fuel, and medical supplies into Gaza since early March in an effort to pressure Hamas into releasing Israeli hostages. Officials have also approved plans that could involve full territorial control of the enclave and centralized oversight of humanitarian aid.

Hamas, however, has maintained that it will only release hostages in exchange for a ceasefire.

Backed by the United States, mediators Egypt and Qatar restarted indirect talks between the two sides on Saturday. However, sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters that no progress had been made.

Reports from Sky News Arabia and the BBC indicated that Hamas had proposed releasing roughly half of the hostages it holds in exchange for a two-month ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners. A Hamas official told Reuters, “Israel’s stance remains the same—they want their prisoners without agreeing to end the war.”

Further complicating the negotiations, media reports suggested that senior Hamas figure Mohammed Sinwar may have been killed, though Hamas has not confirmed this, and Israel's Defence Ministry has offered no comment.

In Israel, criticism mounted from hostage families. Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of allowing political interests to obstruct a potential deal. “The government insists on partial agreements. They are torturing us. Bring back our children—all 58 of them,” she posted on X.

Deadly Strikes on Displaced Civilians

One Israeli airstrike overnight hit a tent camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, killing women and children, injuring dozens, and igniting several tents. Hamas condemned the strike as a “new brutal crime” and blamed the U.S. for enabling the escalation.

Among those killed on Sunday were five journalists—some with their families—and Zakaria Al-Sinwar, a university lecturer and brother of slain Hamas leader Yehya Al-Sinwar, who died in an Israeli strike last October.

Gaza’s healthcare system remains on the brink of collapse. Repeated bombings and a blockade on essential supplies have left hospitals struggling to treat a growing number of wounded civilians, many of them children.

Later on Sunday, the Gaza Health Ministry announced that the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza had stopped functioning due to nearby Israeli strikes. Staff at Shifa Hospital, the territory’s largest, issued an urgent plea for blood donations after receiving 40 bodies and numerous wounded overnight.

The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service reported that 75% of its ambulances were out of operation due to fuel shortages. It warned that unless fuel is allowed in within 72 hours, all emergency vehicles may stop functioning entirely.

Israel says its campaign aims to dismantle Hamas’ military and governing infrastructure, following the group’s October 7, 2023, attacks, in which 1,200 people were killed and around 250 hostages were taken.

Since then, Gaza has been devastated by continuous airstrikes and military operations. Over 53,000 Palestinians have been killed, and nearly the entire population displaced, according to local health authorities.