Israel continues bombing of Gaza as civilians, IDF soldiers’ death toll mount
Israel bombed areas of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip overnight, with fighting throughout Sunday morning, residents and Palestinian media said, as the Israeli military announced a mounting death toll in clashes with Hamas militants.
Israel says it has achieved almost complete operational control over northern Gaza and is preparing to expand a ground offensive to other areas, but Jabalia residents reported persistent aerial bombardment and shelling from Israeli tanks, which they said had moved further into the town on Saturday.
The Israeli military appeared to be meeting stiff resistance. It said on Sunday eight soldiers had been killed in the Strip, bringing to 154 its published combat losses since its ground incursion in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 rampage into Israel, in which militants killed 1,200 and took 240 hostages.
The White House said U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had discussed the Israeli campaign.
Biden “emphasized the critical need to protect the civilian population including those supporting the humanitarian aid operation, and the importance of allowing civilians to move safely away from areas of ongoing fighting”, the White House said in a statement.
“The leaders discussed the importance of securing the release of all remaining hostages,” the White House said.
Netanyahu “made clear that Israel will pursue the war until all of its objectives are fully met”, his office said.
Israel’s main ally has maintained its support while expressing concern over the casualty toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. U.S. officials have said they expect Israel to shift soon to a lower-intensity phase, with operations targeting the Hamas leadership and its infrastructure.
The U.N. Security Council averted a threatened U.S. veto on Friday, after days of wrangling, by removing from a draft resolution a call for an immediate end to the war and diluting Israeli control over aid deliveries. The U.S. and Israel oppose a ceasefire, contending it would let Iran-backed Hamas regroup and rearm.
Washington abstained from the final statement, which urges steps to allow “safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access” to Gaza and “conditions for a sustainable cessation” of fighting.
The Palestinian death toll reached 20,258, the Palestinian health ministry said on Saturday, with thousands more bodies believed trapped under rubble. Almost all of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced.
Reuters
