Key Points
- Gaza death toll reaches 56,500
- Hamas co-founder killed
- Israeli military issues evacuation order in Gaza City
- Trump urges progress on a Gaza ceasefire
- Palestine seeks deterrent measures against Israel
GAZA CITY: Israeli forces killed at least 23 people in the war-hit Palestinian territory on Sunday, including three children, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that his services “transported 23 martyrs, including several children and women” killed in various locations around the Gaza Strip.
Bassal said two children were killed in an air strike on their home in Gaza City’s Zeitun neighbourhood in the early morning, and “the house was completely destroyed.”
Gaza death toll reaches 56,500
At least 56,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023, the Health Ministry said.
A ministry statement said that 88 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 365 people were injured, taking the number of injuries to 133,419 in the Israeli onslaught.
“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
Israel claims killing of Hamas co-founder
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) confirmed on Sunday that a targeted airstrike on Friday in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City killed Hakham Muhammad Issa Al‑Issa, a prominent Hamas co‑founder and senior military commander.
According to the IDF, Al‑Issa served as head of Hamas’ combat-support headquarters, was a founding member of its military wing, sat on the group’s General Security Council, and was instrumental in training, rebuilding its military capabilities, and planning the October 7, 2023, attack
Evacuation order
The Israeli military issued an evacuation order on Sunday for parts of Gaza City and nearby areas in the territory’s north, warning of imminent action there.
The military “will operate with intense force in these areas, and these military operations will intensify and expand… to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organisations”, military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement posted on X.
He told residents to “evacuate immediately south” to Al-Mawasi area on the coast.
Trump calls for deal on Gaza
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump urged renewed momentum in ceasefire discussions aimed at halting the 20-month-long Gaza conflict, stating that both sides are nearing an agreement
An Israeli official — speaking anonymously to media— revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington, D.C., in the coming weeks, signaling possible progress on a new deal. Plans for the US visit are underway, although the details remain confidential.
Trump amplified the appeal on social media, writing: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”, emphasizing urgency and the recovery of hostages
He also downgraded his tone just two days earlier by predicting a ceasefire “within the next week,” indicating rising optimism.
Deterrent measures
Palestine has called for “deterrent international measures” to end Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry appealed to the international community “to bear its responsibility to stop settler crimes against Palestinian civilians and implement the relevant UN resolutions.”
It called for taking “the necessary deterrent measures to end attacks of the settler gangs and their terrorist elements against our people, their land, property, and sanctities.”
Illegal Israeli settlers have stepped up their attacks against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank in recent weeks.
Israel conducts Out 18,000 attacks
According to a report, over the past 20 months, Israeli attacks have expanded beyond Gaza to include nations in the Middle East, including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran, with a total of 18,000 strikes carried out.
According to a US-based non-governmental organisation, more than 1,500 people have been killed in over 15,000 Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
While in the past six months, Israel has carried out 200 attacks in Syria, while in Yemen, it has launched 39 strikes targeting airports and ports.
According to the report, between June 13 and June 23, Israel conducted 146 attacks on Iran, resulting in the deaths of 606 Iranians — including children — and injuring more than 5,000 people.
