As Trump hopes for peace, Israel steps up Gaza attacks

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Israel's subject said Tuesday that it had expanded its operations successful Gaza, wherever residents reported fierce gunfire and shelling days up of a planned travel to Washington by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The intensified operations came aft days of mounting calls for a ceasefire, with President Trump — whom Netanyahu is slated to conscionable with adjacent week — among those urging Israel to onslaught a woody to halt the war and bring location the hostages inactive held successful Gaza. Mr. Trump said Tuesday that helium hoped a ceasefire statement would beryllium reached "sometime adjacent week."

Israel's run to destruct the Palestinian militant radical Hamas has continued unabated, however, with Hamas-ruled Gaza's civilian defence bureau reporting that Israeli forces had killed 17 radical connected Tuesday, with dozens much feared to beryllium trapped nether rubble.

Aftermath of an Israeli onslaught connected a location that took spot connected Monday, successful Zawayda

In effect to reports of deadly strikes successful the northbound and southbound of the territory, the Israeli service said it was "operating to dismantle Hamas subject capabilities."

Separately, it said Tuesday greeting that successful caller days it had "expanded its operations to further areas wrong the Gaza Strip, eliminating dozens of terrorists, and dismantling hundreds of panic infrastructure sites some supra and beneath ground."

Raafat Halles, 39, from the Shujaiya territory of Gaza City district, said "airstrikes and shelling person intensified implicit the past week," and tanks person been advancing.

"I judge that each clip negotiations oregon a imaginable ceasefire are mentioned, the service escalates crimes and massacres connected the ground," helium said. "I don't cognize why."

Amer Daloul, a 44-year-old nonmigratory of Gaza City, besides reported fiercer clashes betwixt Israeli forces and militants successful caller days, telling the AFP helium and his household were forced to fly the structure they were surviving successful astatine dawn connected Tuesday, "due to dense and random gunfire and shelling."

In the confederate metropolis of Rafah, nonmigratory Mohammed Abdel Aal, 41, said determination were Israeli tanks successful astir parts of town.

The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said earlier Tuesday that 116 radical had been killed crossed the enclave implicit the erstwhile 24 hours, raising the full published decease toll successful Gaza since the warfare began to 56,647.

Media restrictions successful Gaza imposed by Israel and difficulties faced by section reporters successful accessing galore areas marque it intolerable to independently verify figures and details provided by authorities successful the Hamas-run Palestinian territory.

A radical of 169 assistance organizations called connected Monday for an extremity to the caller U.S.- and Israeli-backed assistance organisation enactment known arsenic the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which they said forced starving civilians to "trek for hours done unsafe terrain and progressive struggle zones, lone to look a violent, chaotic race" for food.

They urged a instrumentality to the U.N.-led assistance mechanics that existed until March, erstwhile Israel imposed a afloat blockade connected humanitarian assistance entering Gaza during an impasse successful truce talks with Hamas.

The GHF has distanced itself from reports of assistance seekers being killed adjacent its centers.

Netanyahu announced that helium would sojourn Washington to conscionable with Mr. Trump and elder U.S. information officials adjacent week, aft antecedently saying Israel's run against Iran had created "opportunities," including for freeing hostages inactive held successful Gaza.

Israel's declaration of triumph successful the caller 12-day warfare has raised unit connected it to enactment a akin extremity to much than 20 months of devastating warring successful Gaza. The warfare successful Gaza was sparked by the Hamas-orchestrated Oct. 7, 2023 violent onslaught connected confederate Israel, which killed astir 1,200 radical and saw 251 taken arsenic hostages backmost into Gaza. About 20 of those captives are inactive believed to beryllium alive.

Hamas authoritative Taher al-Nunu told the AFP connected Thursday that the radical is "ready to hold to immoderate connection if it volition pb to an extremity to the warfare and a imperishable ceasefire and a implicit withdrawal of concern forces," but helium added: "So far, determination has been nary breakthrough."