Gladness Gideon
At least 20 people were killed on Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a residential building in Gaza City’s Shujaiya district, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence Agency. The strike also left over 40 others injured, with the search for victims still ongoing amidst the rubble.
Mahmud Bassal, a spokesperson for the agency, confirmed the deaths, describing the toll as “20 martyrs” while efforts continued to locate more bodies in the debris.
This deadly attack comes as Israel’s military resumed intense airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on March 18, marking the end of a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. Despite efforts to mediate a return to peace, discussions to restore the truce have yet to yield significant results.
The health ministry in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, reported that at least 1,482 Palestinians have died in the renewed conflict, pushing the total death toll in the ongoing war to a staggering 50,846. These casualties have primarily resulted from Israel’s aerial bombardments, which have intensified since the collapse of the ceasefire.
Hamas, which launched an attack on Israel in October 2023 that resulted in the deaths of 1,218 Israelis, has continued to call for a ceasefire. A senior Hamas official, Hossam Badran, reiterated on Tuesday the group’s stance, declaring that it is “necessary to reach a ceasefire.”
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While ongoing communication with mediators persists, Badran noted that “no new proposals” had emerged, emphasizing that Hamas remains “open to all ideas” that could bring an end to the ongoing conflict and stop what it describes as a “genocide” against Palestinians.
Meanwhile, international efforts to address the situation include a renewed push to secure the release of hostages taken during Hamas’s October attack.
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both indicated on Monday that talks were underway to facilitate the release of more hostages, though details of these negotiations remain scarce. Of the 251 hostages taken, 58 are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, with Israeli authorities confirming that 34 of them have been killed.
The violence continues to exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with both sides suffering immense losses as the conflict persists.