Israeli air strikes ramp up Gaza death toll amid new truce push

Israel carried out air strikes on dozens of Hamas targets in Gaza over the past 24 hours, it said on Friday, in attacks that Palestinian health authorities said had killed nearly 100 people.

The surge in operations and casualties comes amid a renewed push to reach a ceasefire agreement before US president-elect Donald Trump takes office this month, with Israeli mediators dispatched on Thursday to Doha, to resume talks brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

The Gaza health ministry said 27 people were killed early on Friday, after 71 were killed a day earlier including in Al-Mawasi, an area in central Gaza previously declared a humanitarian safe zone by Israeli authorities.

The Israeli military said it had hit about 40 Hamas gathering points as well as command and control centres. It said it had taken numerous measures to reduce the risk of harming civilians, including using precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.

It accused Hamas of placing fighters in civilian areas including buildings formerly used as schools. Hamas rejects accusations it deliberately uses the civilian population to shield fighters.

On Friday, the military told civilians in the area of al-Bureij in central Gaza to evacuate ahead of an operation ordered after rocket attacks from the area. It said residents should move to the humanitarian zone for their own safety.

Israel launched its assault on Gaza in response to the Hamas attack on October 7 2023, in which militants stormed border communities from Gaza, killing about 1,200 people and seizing about 250 hostages according to Israeli tallies.

Its military campaign, with the stated goal of eradicating Hamas, has levelled swathes of the enclave, driving most people from their homes, and killed 45,581 Palestinians according to the Gaza health ministry.

STALLED DIPLOMACY

The US, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to mediate a deal for a ceasefire and hostage release for a year with no success and are making another push this month before Trump's January 20 inauguration.

Ceasefire efforts have continually stumbled on a fundamental disagreement over how to end the conflict. Hamas says it will only accept an agreement and release the hostages if Israel commits to ending the war. Israel says it will only agree to stop fighting once Hamas is destroyed.

US President Joe Biden has repeatedly called for a ceasefire agreement. Trump has said that if there is not a deal to release the hostages before his inauguration, “all hell is going to break out”.

Israel's military has entered nearly every part of Gaza but is still fighting Hamas militants who are waging guerrilla warfare across the ruins of the tiny enclave. Over the autumn, Israel's military resumed intense combat in northern Gaza, which it has repeatedly told all civilians to leave, while still continuing heavy strikes in the south.

In late December single-day death tolls announced by the Gaza health ministry included 48 on December 28, 58 on December 22 and 77 on December 20. The toll rose by 1,124 in December, compared to 1,170 in November and 1,621 in October according to ministry figures.

Israel's military said strikes on Thursday targeted Hamas militants in the southern city of Khan Younis and Mawasi.

Asked about Thursday's reported death toll, a spokesperson for the Israeli military said it followed international law in waging the war in Gaza and that it took “feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm”.