Israeli strikes on Gaza overnight leaves more than 50 Palestinians dead

DEIR EL-BALAH – Overnight strikes by Israel killed astatine slightest 55 radical crossed the Gaza Strip, infirmary officials said Thursday, a time aft elder authorities officials said Israel would prehend ample areas of Gaza and establish a caller information corridor crossed the Palestinian territory.

Israel has vowed to escalate the astir 18-month warfare with Hamas until the militant radical returns dozens of remaining hostages, disarms and leaves the territory. Israel has imposed a month-long halt connected each imports of food, substance and humanitarian assistance that has near civilians facing acute shortages arsenic supplies dwindle.

Officials successful Khan Younis, successful the confederate portion of the strip, said the bodies of 14 radical had been taken to Nasser Hospital – 9 of them from the aforesaid family. The dormant included 5 children and 4 women. The bodies of different 19 people, including 5 children aged betwixt 1 and 7 years and a large woman, were taken to the European infirmary adjacent Khan Younis, infirmary officials said. In Gaza City, 21 bodies were taken to Ahli hospital, including those of 7 children.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel was establishing a caller information corridor crossed the Gaza Strip to unit Hamas, suggesting it would chopped disconnected the confederate metropolis of Rafah, which Israel has ordered evacuated, from the remainder of the Palestinian territory.

Netanyahu referred to the caller axis arsenic the Morag corridor, utilizing the sanction of a Jewish colony that erstwhile stood betwixt Rafah and Khan Younis, suggesting it would tally betwixt the 2 confederate cities. He said it would beryllium “a 2nd Philadelphi corridor ” referring to the Gaza broadside of the borderline with Egypt further south, which has been nether Israeli power since past May.

Israel has reasserted power implicit the Netzarim corridor, besides named for a erstwhile settlement, that cuts disconnected the bluish 3rd of Gaza, including Gaza City, from the remainder of the constrictive coastal strip. Both of the existing corridors tally from the Israeli borderline to the Mediterranean Sea.

“We are cutting up the strip, and we are expanding the unit measurement by step, truthful that they volition springiness america our hostages,” Netanyahu said.

The Western-backed Palestinian Authority, led by rivals of Hamas, expressed its “complete rejection” of the planned corridor. Its connection besides called for Hamas to springiness up powerfulness successful Gaza, wherever the militant radical has faced uncommon protests recently.

Netanyahu’s announcement came aft the defence minister, Israel Katz, said Israel would prehend ample areas of Gaza and adhd them to its alleged information zones, seemingly referring to an existing buffer portion on Gaza’s full perimeter. He called connected Gaza residents to “expel Hamas and instrumentality each the hostages,” saying “this is the lone mode to extremity the war.”

Hamas has said it volition lone merchandise the remaining 59 hostages — 24 of whom are believed to beryllium live — successful speech for the merchandise of much Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli pullout. The radical has rejected demands that it laic down its arms oregon permission the territory.

On Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel plans to support wide information power of Gaza aft the warfare and instrumentality U.S. President Donald Trump’s connection to resettle overmuch of its colonisation elsewhere done what the Israeli person referred to arsenic “voluntary emigration.”

Palestinians person rejected the plan, viewing it arsenic expulsion from their homeland aft Israel’s violative near overmuch of it uninhabitable, and quality rights experts accidental implementing the program would apt interruption planetary law.

The warfare began erstwhile Hamas-led militants attacked confederate Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, sidesplitting astir 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages, astir of whom person since been released successful ceasefire agreements and different deals. Israel rescued 8 surviving hostages and has recovered dozens of bodies.

Israel’s violative has killed much than 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t accidental whether those killed are civilians oregon combatants. Israel says it has killed astir 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The warfare has near immense areas of Gaza successful ruins and astatine its tallness displaced astir 90% of the population.

___

Follow AP’s warfare sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.