Palestinian health authorities reported on Monday that Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 21 people, as Israeli forces intensified operations in Rafah, near the Egyptian border. This marks an escalation in the ongoing week-long aerial and ground offensive.
According to health officials, nearly 700 Palestinians have been killed since Israel resumed attacks on Gaza last Tuesday, following a period of relative calm after a January ceasefire. The casualties reportedly include at least 400 women and children.
While Hamas confirmed that several of its senior political and security officials had been killed, Israel stated that its renewed military operations aim to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
Israel also asserted that it takes measures to minimize civilian casualties and has questioned the casualty figures provided by health authorities in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz emphasized that the Israeli military is targeting Hamas, not civilians.
“But when Hamas fights in civilian dress, from civilian homes, and from behind civilians, it puts civilians in danger, and they pay a horrible price. That is why we are urging Gazans to evacuate combat zones,” Katz stated on X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, Hamas denied using civilians or civilian infrastructure for military purposes.
In Rafah, the local municipality reported that thousands of residents were trapped in the Tel Al-Sultan area, where Israeli forces had been deployed.
“Contacts with the neighborhood are completely cut off, and the fate of [residents] is unknown. Families are trapped among the ruins, with no access to water, food, or medicine, amid a total collapse of healthcare services,” the municipality said in a statement.
According to Israeli reports, Israel launched its offensive on Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas fighters, in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in southern Israel, and more than 250 hostages were taken.