The Islamist group Hamas stated that several of its senior political and security officials had been killed in the strikes.
Israel has defended its renewed offensive, saying it is aimed at pressuring Hamas to release the remaining hostages still held in Gaza. The Israeli military insists it takes measures to minimise civilian casualties, while also questioning the casualty figures reported by Gaza’s health authorities, which operate under Hamas control.Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant reiterated that the military’s objective is to dismantle Hamas, not to target Gaza’s civilian population.
“But when Hamas fights in civilian dress, from civilian homes, and from behind civilians, it puts civilians in danger and they pay a horrible price. That is why we are urging Gazans to evacuate combat zones,” Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said on X.
Israel is fighting Hamas and will defeat Hamas. Let me be clear – Israel is not fighting the civilians in Gaza and is doing everything that international law requires to mitigate harm to civilians.
But when Hamas fights in civilian dress, from civilian homes, and from behind…– Israel Katz Israel Katz (@israel_katz) March 24, 2025
Hamas has denied using civilians or civilian infrastructure for military purposes.
In Rafah, the local municipality said thousands of residents were trapped inside the Tel Al-Sultan neighbourhood, where Israeli troops had been deployed.
“Contacts with the neighbourhood are cut off completely and the fate of (people) is unknown. Families are trapped among the ruins, with no water, no food, no medicine, amid a total collapse of healthcare services,” it said in a statement.
The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service estimated that around 50,000 people remained trapped in Rafah.
The Israeli military said its forces had encircled Tel Al-Sultan to dismantle “terror infrastructure sites and eliminate terrorists in the area.”
Palestinian officials said on Sunday that the overall death toll from the conflict, which has lasted nearly 18 months, has surpassed 50,000.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and resulted in more than 250 hostages being taken, according to Israeli figures.
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