Almost 200 killed as Israel resumes bombing of Gaza: Israeli forces have resumed the bombing campaign in Gaza after negotiations with Hamas to extend the temporary ceasefire collapsed. The IDF said on Saturday that it had bombed 400 targets in Gaza and 50 targets in Khan Younis in the first 24 hours following the end of the truce, airstrikes which according to the Gaza Health Ministry caused the deaths of 193 Palestinians.
Talks of a potential ceasefire extension have collapsed: A Mossad team that was sent to Qatar to negotiate a potential extension of the ceasefire was ordered to return to Israel after talks reached an impasse, the Israeli prime minister’s office said yesterday. During the week-long ceasefire, Hamas released more than 100 hostages in exchange for 210 Palestinians.
Israel is pushing thousands of Palestinians towards the Egyptian border: The Israeli military is expanding its devastating air campaign to the south of the territory, where it had previously ordered hundreds of thousands of civilians living in the north to flee to. It is now issuing evacuation orders for districts in the southern city of Khan Younis and instructing residents to move to the border town of Rafah and a small area on the coast called Al Mawasi. As many as 1.8 mn people — almost 80% of the population — have been internally displaced during the eight-week conflict.
Remember: Senior Israeli officials have publicly called for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza in response to the attacks on 7 October, and have previously tried to lobby Western governments to support a plan to push its inhabitants into the Sinai. An Intelligence Ministry report leaked in the Israeli press last month recommended that the government forcibly transfer the population over the border into Egypt, though Netanyahu downplayed it as a “concept paper.” A number of senior Egyptian officials — including President Abdel Fattah El Sisi — have said repeatedly this is a red line, and Prime Minister Madbouly threatened a military response if Israel tries to follow through.
Netanyahu wants to “thin” Palestinian population, says Israeli media: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes “thinning the population” of Gaza is a key strategic goal for his government and has instructed Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to explore policy options, Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported Thursday.
ON THE GROUND- At least 15,207 Palestinians including 6,150 children and more than 4,000 women have been killed since 7 October | 112 UN staff have lost their lives | 20 hospitals and 46 medical facilities are out of service due to targeted attacks and a lack of fuel.
AID- Israel hampers humanitarian relief effort: Israeli forces said Friday that the entry of aid trucks from the Egyptian side to the strip would be prohibited until further notice, but allowed 100 to cross the Egypt-Gaza border yesterday.