Israeli Strikes Kill 32 Palestinians As Gaza Death Toll Tops 58,000/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Israeli strikes killed at least 32 Palestinians Sunday, pushing Gaza’s war death toll above 58,000. Violence also escalated in the West Bank as diplomatic efforts stalled. Israel and Hamas remain at odds over ceasefire terms and hostage releases.
Gaza Conflict Quick Looks
- Israeli strikes kill at least 32 Palestinians on Sunday
- Gaza’s war death toll surpasses 58,000 lives lost
- Six children killed at Gaza water distribution point
- Israel blames a technical error for deadly strike
- Ceasefire talks remain deadlocked over troop withdrawals
- West Bank sees violence, including Palestinian-American’s death
- Gaza hospitals report high civilian casualties from recent strikes
- Israel says Hamas uses civilian areas for military operations
- U.S. family calls for probe into Palestinian-American killing
- Israel vows no rebuilding aid for Gaza infrastructure
Deep Look
Israeli Strikes Kill At Least 32 In Gaza As Palestinian Death Toll Exceeds 58,000 Amid Stalled Peace Talks
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip claimed the lives of at least 32 Palestinians on Sunday, including six children struck at a water collection point, local health officials reported. The mounting civilian toll pushed the overall Palestinian death count past a staggering 58,000 since the outbreak of the war nearly 21 months ago.
Despite renewed diplomatic efforts, Israel and Hamas remain locked in a bitter standoff over ceasefire terms. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to Washington yielded no breakthrough, as negotiations stalled over the future deployment of Israeli troops during any truce.
Israel insists the conflict will only end when Hamas agrees to surrender, disarm, and send its leadership into exile—conditions Hamas continues to reject. Conversely, Hamas has stated it is willing to release all remaining hostages, around 50 individuals with only about 20 believed to be alive, in exchange for a complete cessation of hostilities and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The impasse has fueled growing frustration inside Israel. On Sunday evening, families of some hostages held demonstrations outside Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem, demanding decisive action to secure their loved ones’ release.
“The overwhelming majority of the people in Israel have spoken loudly and clearly: We want to do a deal, even at the cost of ending this war, and we want to do it now,” said Jon Polin, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American, was killed in captivity.
Meanwhile, scenes of devastation unfolded in Gaza. In the central town of Nuseirat, a deadly Israeli airstrike hit a water distribution point where dozens had gathered to collect water. Officials at Al-Awda Hospital confirmed receiving ten bodies from the strike, six of whom were children.
Ramadan Nassar, who lives near the site, described chaos and heartbreak. “There were about 20 kids and 14 adults lined up for water,” he told the Associated Press. Residents often walk nearly two kilometers to reach such collection sites due to severe infrastructure damage and water shortages across Gaza.
Israel’s military acknowledged the strike but said it was targeting a militant operative. A technical malfunction reportedly caused the munitions to fall “dozens of meters from the target,” the army said.
In one harrowing scene at Al-Awda Hospital, a young Palestinian boy leaned over a body bag to say a final goodbye to his 12-year-old friend, Abdullah Ahmed, killed in the strike. “There is no safe place,” lamented Raafat Fanouna, as residents clawed through debris with bare hands searching for survivors.
Separately, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported an Israeli strike in central Gaza City on Sunday afternoon that killed 11 people and injured approximately 30 others. Among those killed was Dr. Ahmed Qandil, a general surgeon reportedly en route to Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital at the time of the attack.
In the central town of Zawaida, officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said an Israeli strike leveled a home, killing nine residents, including two women and three children. A subsequent strike in the same town claimed two additional lives, according to Al-Awda Hospital.
Israel’s military maintained that it was unaware of the strike on the residential home but confirmed hitting more than 150 targets in the previous 24 hours, including weapon storage sites, missile launchers, and sniping positions. The army continued to accuse Hamas of embedding military operations within civilian areas, increasing the risk of civilian casualties.
Gaza’s Health Ministry, under Hamas control, estimates that women and children constitute over half of the more than 58,000 deaths so far. Although the ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its statistics, United Nations officials and other international organizations generally consider the figures credible and reflective of the conflict’s devastating toll on Gaza’s population.
The current conflict traces back to Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and led to the abduction of 251 individuals. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has since transformed much of Gaza into rubble.
In a stark reflection of Israel’s future stance on Gaza, Energy Minister Eli Cohen said on right-wing Channel 14 television that his ministry would not participate in rebuilding efforts. “Gaza should remain an island of ruins for the next decades,” Cohen declared.
Violence Spreads To West Bank
The conflict’s repercussions also rippled through the West Bank, where violence between Israeli settlers, Palestinian residents, and Israeli forces has surged alongside the Gaza war.
On Sunday, funerals were held for Palestinian-American Sayfollah Musallet, 20, and his friend Mohammed al-Shalabi in the village of Al-Mazraa a-Sharqiya. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that Musallet, originally from Florida, was beaten to death by Israeli settlers on his family’s land, while al-Shalabi was fatally shot in the chest.
Israel’s military contends that Palestinians hurled rocks at Israelis in the area on Friday, injuring two people and igniting broader clashes. However, Palestinians and human rights groups have repeatedly accused Israeli security forces of failing to prevent settler violence.
Amid chants of “God is great,” mourners carried the bodies of Musallet and al-Shalabi through the streets, waving Palestinian flags. Musallet’s family has called on the U.S. State Department to investigate his killing and hold those responsible accountable. The State Department has declined comment, citing respect for the family’s privacy.
As fighting rages in Gaza and tensions surge in the West Bank, the conflict shows no sign of winding down. For now, the toll continues to climb, leaving communities on all sides grappling with loss, anger, and an uncertain future.
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