Israel has escalated its military offensive in Gaza ahead of imminent ceasefire talks, with warships and artillery launching one of the deadliest bombardments in the Palestinian territory for months. Medics and officials in Gaza reported about 90 people killed overnight and on Thursday, including many women and children, with roughly 300 deaths this week and thousands more injured.
Among those killed was Marwan al-Sultan, a cardiologist and director of the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza, who died in an airstrike that also killed his wife and five children. In Gaza City, 12 people were killed in a strike on the Mustafa Hafez school sheltering displaced persons, according to civil defence official Mohammad al-Mughayyir. Footage showed children wandering through the charred building as debris smouldered.
Hopes of a ceasefire have risen since Donald Trump announced that Israel had accepted the terms of a potential deal with Hamas. The proposal would involve a 60-day initial pause, a partial Israeli troop withdrawal, and the release of some hostages. Israel’s security cabinet was scheduled to meet on Thursday night to decide whether to move towards an agreement or escalate further.
Benjamin Netanyahu is due to fly to Washington on Sunday for talks with Trump and senior US officials, expected to cover a ceasefire, the recent Israel-Iran war, and regional agreements. Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar described “positive signs” for a ceasefire, while energy minister Eli Cohen said there was “definitely readiness to advance a deal”. Hamas is expected to respond on Friday, though the group is split, with political leaders outside Gaza favouring a ceasefire while those inside want to continue fighting.
The latest wave of attacks has focused on northern Gaza, where Hamas remains entrenched but weakened. Casualties on Thursday included dozens of Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid, with five killed near sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new organisation supported by the US and Israel. About 45 other aid seekers were reportedly killed by Israeli fire elsewhere. Israel’s military acknowledged that civilians had been harmed seeking aid and said new instructions had been issued after “lessons learned”.
The previous ceasefire collapsed in March when Israel reneged on a promise to move to a second phase of talks, and since then nearly 6,500 people have been killed in Gaza. Total blockade has been partly lifted, but only very limited supplies are reaching those threatened by famine. One woman who lost relatives in the school strike was quoted as saying: “We have no life left. Let them just annihilate us so we can finally rest.”
