Israel has continued its air and ground operations in Gaza, defying U.S. President Donald Trump’s call to halt attacks following Hamas’s partial acceptance of his 20-point peace plan.
At least 70 Palestinians were killed in multiple airstrikes across the enclave on Saturday, according to medical sources.
For weeks, Israeli forces have been conducting intensified operations in Gaza City, forcing nearly one million residents to flee toward the overcrowded southern regions in search of safety.
Medical workers reported that an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood killed 18 people and left several others critically wounded.
The explosion also damaged nearby buildings. Gaza’s emergency services said in a statement posted on Telegram that seven of the victims were children aged between two months and eight years.
Israeli forces also struck a displacement camp in the southern Al-Mawasi area—an area previously declared by Israel as a “safe and humanitarian zone.”
Two children were killed and at least eight others injured in that attack. Despite Israel’s directive for Palestinians to relocate there, Al-Mawasi has repeatedly come under fire in recent months.
Reporting from Zawaida, Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary said Israeli airstrikes also targeted central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp and several other locations.
She added that hospitals were overwhelmed and unable to treat the growing number of casualties. Most of the few remaining hospitals in northern Gaza are operating despite severe fuel shortages.
“There are no signs of a ceasefire on the ground,” Khoudary said.
President Trump on Saturday urged Hamas to expedite the release of hostages and finalize talks related to his peace plan. “Otherwise, everything will fall apart,” he warned.
Posting on his platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I will not tolerate delays, which many expect. Nor will I accept any outcome where Gaza again becomes a threat. Let’s get this done—quickly. Everyone will be treated fairly.”
In a separate post, Trump said Israel had agreed in principle to a phased troop withdrawal, which had been communicated to Hamas.
“Once Hamas confirms, a ceasefire will take effect immediately. Hostage and prisoner exchanges will begin, and we’ll prepare conditions for the next phase of troop withdrawal,” he wrote.
Hamas has reportedly accepted several key points of Trump’s proposal, including Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. However, it remains unclear whether Hamas is willing to disarm.
A White House official said Trump plans to send his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Egypt to finalize the technical aspects of the hostage release and to discuss a lasting peace agreement.
According to Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, delegations from Israel and Hamas are expected to meet in Cairo on Monday for further negotiations.
Under the first phase of Trump’s peace plan, Hamas would release all Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
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