At least 60 people lost their lives in a fresh wave of Israeli airstrikes across Gaza, according to local health officials, as the conflict in the war-torn enclave rages on with no definitive end in sight.
The bombings began late Friday night and carried on into Saturday morning, striking densely populated civilian areas and displacing thousands already struggling to survive under extreme conditions.
One of the most devastating strikes occurred near the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, a location that had been converted into a shelter for displaced families.
According to medical personnel at Shifa Hospital, 12 individuals — including women and children — were killed in that single incident. In another nearby attack, eight more civilians who were living in residential apartment buildings also lost their lives.
Nasser Hospital, located in southern Gaza, reported receiving more than 20 bodies throughout Saturday morning, a grim testament to the intensifying violence.
By midday, another airstrike struck a crowded street in eastern Gaza City, killing at least 11 people whose remains were later taken to Al-Ahli Hospital, according to health authorities.
The renewed wave of strikes comes at a time when the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels. Necessities such as food, clean water, medical supplies, and shelter are rapidly depleting as civilians continue to bear the brunt of a brutal and protracted war.
Aid agencies and international observers have repeatedly called for urgent intervention to prevent further loss of life.
Meanwhile, there are tentative signs that a ceasefire might be on the horizon. U.S. President Donald Trump, addressing reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, hinted that negotiations could yield results soon.
“We’re working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of,” the President said, adding that a potential ceasefire agreement could materialize within the next week.
An anonymous U.S. official with direct knowledge of the diplomatic discussions revealed that Israel’s Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, is scheduled to arrive in Washington next week.
Dermer is expected to hold key talks concerning the Gaza ceasefire, ongoing hostilities with Iran, and broader regional security concerns. The official declined to be named, citing a lack of authorization to speak to the press.
Ceasefire negotiations have been ongoing but inconsistent since March, when a previously brokered truce was shattered by an Israeli military offensive. Since then, the Gaza Strip has plunged deeper into chaos, with escalating bombardments intensifying an already dire humanitarian disaster.
Hospitals are overwhelmed, infrastructure is crumbling, and large swaths of the population remain without shelter.
Adding to the complexity of the situation is the fate of approximately 50 hostages still believed to be held by Hamas. These individuals were among the roughly 250 hostages captured during Hamas’s surprise assault on Israel on October 7, 2023 — an event that marked the beginning of what has now become a 21-month-long war.
Fewer than half of those 50 are believed to still be alive, according to Israeli intelligence estimates.
Since the onset of the conflict, the death toll among Palestinians has soared. According to the latest figures released by Gaza’s health ministry, more than 56,000 people have been killed.
The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its reports, but it states that more than half of those killed are women and children, painting a devastating picture of the war’s human cost.
As the international community watches closely, the people of Gaza continue to live under constant threat, their lives upended by a conflict that shows few signs of truly abating, despite flickers of diplomatic progress.