The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported on Saturday that 130 people had been killed and 263 injured in Israeli strikes in the past 48 hours, as emergency teams continued to face significant challenges reaching victims trapped under rubble and in the streets. Since the start of the Israeli offensive on 7 October 2023, the death toll in Gaza has risen to 49,747, with over 113,000 people injured.
Despite the ongoing Israeli airstrikes, which resumed on Tuesday, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirmed that communications with mediators were still ongoing to reach a ceasefire agreement. Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanoua emphasized that the movement remains open to any consensus-based arrangements for governing Gaza, rejecting claims from US envoy for Middle East Steve Witkoff that Hamas was insistent on retaining power.
On the other hand, the Fatah movement, led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, urged Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza, arguing that doing so was essential to preserve the “Palestinian presence” in the region. Fatah spokesperson Munther Al-Hayek warned of difficult and painful days ahead for Gaza’s residents if Hamas continued its governance of the territory.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli military’s destruction of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, calling it a “war crime and a crime against humanity” that must be prosecuted under international law. The ministry accused Israel of targeting hospitals and medical personnel as part of its broader policy of displacement and extermination against the Palestinian people while criticizing the international community for its silence and inaction.
In diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement calling for the immediate restoration of a ceasefire. They condemned the resumption of Israeli airstrikes as a “tragic step backward,” urging for an immediate return to the ceasefire to prevent further civilian casualties.
In a separate development, the Ansar Allah Movement (Houthis) in Yemen claimed responsibility for targeting Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv with a hypersonic ballistic missile. The group asserted that the missile had successfully hit its target and warned airlines that the airport had become “unsafe for air navigation” until the Israeli aggression against Gaza ceases and the blockade is lifted.
