Gaza rescuers say 23 killed in latest Israeli strikes

Israel intensified its assault on the Gaza Strip with airstrikes reportedly killing at least 23 people, according to rescuers, nearly 15 months into its war with Hamas.

The latest casualties follow Israel’s announcement that indirect truce and hostage-release negotiations had resumed in Qatar.

Early Sunday, an airstrike in Gaza’s Sheikh Radwan area killed 11 people, including women and children, according to Civil Defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal.

Rescue teams are still searching for five individuals trapped under the rubble, using their bare hands in the effort.

The Israeli military reported targeting over 100 “terror sites” in Gaza in the past two days, resulting in what it described as the elimination of dozens of Hamas militants.

Gaza’s health ministry, however, reported 88 deaths within the previous 24 hours, highlighting the escalating toll on civilians.

In central Gaza, five members of the Abu Jarbou family were killed in Nuseirat refugee camp.

A footage showed rescuers transporting the injured and deceased, with medics attempting life-saving measures inside ambulances and hospitals. Families mourned over the shrouded bodies of their loved ones.

The military stated that several strikes were directed at locations used to launch rockets into Israel.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned last week of increased strikes if rocket attacks and the captivity of Israeli hostages persisted. Rocket fire from Gaza, which had waned in recent months, has surged again alongside Israel’s land and air operations.

Efforts to secure a ceasefire and a hostage-release agreement, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, resumed over the weekend. These negotiations come just days before Donald Trump assumes the U.S. presidency on January 20.

The war, which began after a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has led to the deaths of 1,208 Israelis, predominantly civilians, according to Israeli authorities.