Importance Score: 84 / 100 🟢
Israel Conducts Airstrikes in Gaza Following Rocket Barrage
Rocket Fire and Israeli Response
Amid escalating tensions, Israel launched fresh airstrikes in Gaza following a directive from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to retaliate against what officials described as one of the most intense rocket barrages from Hamas in recent months.
According to the Israeli military, approximately half of the ten rockets launched from Gaza on Sunday evening struck Israeli territory. The remaining rockets were intercepted. Israeli medical personnel reported one injury resulting from falling debris.
Netanyahu issued orders for a “strong response” en route to Washington D.C., where he is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump.
Palestinian Casualties Reported
The Hamas-affiliated health ministry in Gaza reported on Monday that at least 56 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza within the last 24 hours.
Journalist Killed in Airstrike
Separately, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, an airstrike targeting a tent used by local media resulted in the death of a Palestinian journalist and injuries to nine others, according to the Hamas Government Media Office and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS).
Reuters reported visual evidence of individuals extinguishing a fire within a tent at Nasser hospital complex. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) identified the deceased journalist as Helmi al-Faqaawi, affiliated with Palestine Today TV.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet intelligence agency issued a joint statement asserting they targeted a “Hamas operative… masking as a journalist and owner of a press enterprise,” identifying him as Hassan Eslaih, and claiming his involvement in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The PJS vehemently denounced the incident as an “appalling massacre” and appealed to the United Nations to intervene and halt Israel’s alleged targeting of “the entire Palestinian people, including journalists.”
Hospital Under Scrutiny
Nasser Hospital, the largest operational medical facility remaining in Gaza, has sustained multiple strikes by the IDF since the commencement of the conflict. Israel has consistently alleged that Hamas utilizes hospitals for clandestine operations and weapon storage, accusations Hamas refutes.
Military Operations and Claims
Prior to the airstrikes, the IDF stated they had attacked the rocket launcher responsible for the rocket fire towards Israel, following evacuation orders for residents in several Deir al-Balah districts in central Gaza. IDF Arabic spokesman Lt Col Avichay Adraee stated that Israel would “initiate a severe strike on any area from which rockets are launched.”
Hamas, according to Reuters, claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks, citing Israeli “massacres of civilians in Gaza” as justification.
Ongoing Conflict and Diplomatic Efforts
Visual reports from the Israeli city of Ashkelon depicted aerial flashes, accompanied by blaring sirens, and an explosion near a residential building during Sunday night’s rocket attack.
While the frequency and intensity of Hamas’s rocket attacks have substantially decreased since the initial phase of the conflict, due to Israel’s targeted operations against arsenals and launchers, the group’s continued, albeit intermittent, rocket fire into Israel indicates a persistent operational capacity.
Israeli airstrikes persisted overnight, following the strikes targeting rocket launchers, with the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reporting strikes across northern, central, and southern Gaza.
Regional Diplomatic Efforts
Concurrently, French President Emmanuel Macron convened discussions in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II, aiming to facilitate a renewed ceasefire.
During a joint press briefing, Macron and Sisi jointly “condemned the renewed Israeli strikes on Gaza.” Macron further stated that Hamas should be excluded from any future Gaza governance and advocated for the Palestinian Authority, Hamas’s political rival, to assume control.
Netanyahu indicated that the Gaza conflict and Israel’s efforts to secure the release of 59 hostages held by Hamas would be key discussion points during his meeting with President Trump at the White House on Monday.
Conflict Background
Israel recommenced its military campaign in Gaza last month, attributing the breakdown to Hamas’s rejection of a US-brokered ceasefire extension initiated in January. Hamas conversely accused Israel of abandoning the original agreement.
The ongoing conflict was precipitated by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities in Israel and the abduction of 251 hostages to Gaza.
The Hamas health ministry reports that over 50,750 Palestinians have perished in the Israeli offensive since then.