At least 123 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours as Israeli military operations continued across the Gaza Strip, amid mounting international accusations that Israel is committing crimes against humanity. In a report released on Tuesday, United Nations experts accused Israel of conducting “a systematic campaign to erase Palestinian life,” citing the targeting of civilians sheltering in schools and places of worship.
According to Gaza’s Civil Defense, 31 people were killed on Wednesday morning by Israeli fire while attempting to reach a food distribution centre. Similar incidents have claimed dozens of lives near aid points run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since late May, according to the Red Cross and local emergency services.
Gaza’s Government Media Office accused Israel of deliberately fostering chaos through starvation and of “directly targeting starving civilians using drones, helicopters, and tanks.”
On the diplomatic front, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “end the war now” during a phone call held Monday evening. Citing unnamed sources, the channel said Trump used unusually strong language, telling Netanyahu: “I want you to end the war.”
In a bid to ease the escalating crisis, Netanyahu stated in a video posted to his Telegram account on Tuesday that “significant progress” had been made in negotiations with Hamas over a potential prisoner exchange. However, he cautioned that it was “too early to raise hopes.” Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi dismissed Netanyahu’s remarks as “deception,” accusing him of misleading the Israeli public and obstructing a genuine deal that could secure the release of captives.
Mediated talks, led by Qatar and Egypt, are ongoing in Doha, though prospects for a ceasefire remain uncertain amid conflicting signals from the parties involved.
On the ground, fighting persisted in southern Gaza. The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, said its fighters were engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli forces in the city of Khan Younis. The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, also claimed responsibility for the sniper killing of an Israeli soldier in the nearby town of Abasan al-Kabira.
Israeli media reported heavy combat in the area, with the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation confirming that four soldiers were wounded in separate incidents during the latest battles. Two were injured when an anti-tank missile struck a tank from the 74th Armoured Battalion, while two others were wounded in a separate shooting.
