Gaza Airstrikes Kill Dozens Amid Ceasefire Talks Collapse/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Israeli strikes killed at least 34 Palestinians as Gaza violence intensifies. A soldier died amid fierce fighting, while Netanyahu and Trump discuss ceasefire efforts. Hopes for peace fade as casualties rise and regional tensions deepen.
Quick Look: Gaza Conflict Update
- Deaths Reported: 34 Palestinians killed, including children, plus 1 Israeli soldier.
- Ceasefire Talks: Netanyahu and Trump meet in Washington; agreement remains elusive.
- West Bank Tensions: Fresh violence with fatal stabbings and military raids.
Israel-Gaza Conflict Escalates: 34 Palestinians, 1 Israeli Soldier Killed as Truce Talks Stall
Deep Look
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli air and ground assaults pounded the Gaza Strip Wednesday night into Thursday, killing at least 34 Palestinians and an Israeli soldier, as hopes faded for a ceasefire amid talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.
The violence underscores the growing obstacles to reaching a U.S.-brokered truce to end the war, now stretching into its 21st month. Netanyahu insists Hamas must be destroyed, while the militant group demands a complete halt to the conflict beyond any temporary truce.
Civilian Deaths Mount as Conflict Drags On
In Gaza’s southern Khan Younis region and the coastal area of Muwasi, Nasser Hospital reported 21 people killed, including three children and their mother. Another airstrike in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah killed at least 13 people Thursday morning. Ten of those victims were waiting outside a medical clinic to receive nutritional supplements, aid group Project Hope said.
“This is a tragedy and a violation of humanitarian laws,” said Dr. Mithqal Abutaha, Project Hope’s project manager. “No child waiting for food and medicine should face the risk of being bombed.”
The clinic sustained light damage and will close for several days, Abutaha added.
Israel’s military said it targeted a militant near the clinic linked to Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack into Israel and that the incident is under investigation.
Over the past week, Israeli forces claimed to dismantle more than 130 Hamas sites in Khan Younis, including tunnels, missile launch pads, and weapons stockpiles.
On Thursday, Israel confirmed the death of a soldier killed in Khan Younis after militants emerged from a tunnel and attempted to abduct him. Eighteen Israeli soldiers have died in the last three weeks, one of the deadliest spans for the army in months, intensifying domestic pressure on Netanyahu to end the fighting.
Violence Spills into the West Bank
The Gaza conflict has fueled heightened violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. On Thursday, an Israeli man in his 20s was fatally stabbed at a supermarket in an Israeli settlement, Magen David Adom rescue services said. Security guards shot the two attackers.
Earlier the same day, Israeli forces killed a 55-year-old Palestinian man who allegedly stabbed a soldier in the West Bank village of Rumana.
Israel’s sweeping security operations in the West Bank have killed hundreds of Palestinians and displaced tens of thousands, further escalating tensions. Palestinian militants have launched attacks against Israelis inside Israel and in West Bank settlements, contributing to the region’s deadly volatility.
Israel Demolishes Buildings Damaged by Iranian Attacks
Meanwhile, in Bat Yam, Israel began demolishing over a dozen buildings damaged by Iranian missile strikes during the 12-day Israel-Iran war earlier this year. The strikes killed nine people, including five Ukrainian refugees who had sought medical care in Israel.
Bat Yam Mayor Tzvika Brot pledged to rebuild, saying: “We’re going to demolish 20 buildings, but we’ll build them stronger. That will be the best answer to our enemies.”
Iran’s attack included 550 missiles and over 1,000 drones, killing 28 Israelis and injuring more than 3,000. Iran claims at least 1,060 of its citizens died in the conflict.
The Israel-Gaza war began in October 2023 when Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose figures are considered the most reliable by international agencies despite not distinguishing civilians from fighters.
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