Residents report Israeli planes and tanks pounding areas across Gaza. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid US calls for a more focused military campaign.
The White House said Sullivan would urge Israel to target Hamas militants specifically, not launch a full-scale assault on Rafah. Discussions on this issue were set for Sunday.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled the area that was one of their few remaining places of refuge.
“Across the Gaza Strip, there is no safety,” said Majid Omran who told Reuters his family had fled Rafah and just returned to what was left of their home in the southern city of Khan Yunis that they had fled almost five months ago.
“We took our children, grandchildren, and daughters and we came and lived above the rubble of our home – because there is no place to take refuge here.”
Israeli forces also pushed deeper into the narrow alleyways of Jabalia in northern Gaza, returning to an area that they said they had cleared earlier in the conflict, residents said.
The Israeli military has said its operations in Jabalia – the largest of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps – are precise and meant to stop Hamas from re-establishing its grip there.
The Israel Gaza Strikes coincide with U.S. envoy discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu. However, the airstrikes complicate broader Middle East peace efforts. Additionally, the envoy emphasized the need for humanitarian access to Gaza, where living conditions remain dire.
International reactions to the Israel Gaza Strikes have been swift and varied. Some countries condemned the strikes, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Others emphasized Israel’s right to defend itself against militant attacks. Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations highlighted the impact on Gaza’s civilian population.
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