Israeli aircraft and tanks heavily bombarded Gaza City and other parts of the Gaza Strip ahead of a planned operation to take control of the city. Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry reported 123 deaths across the territory in the preceding 24 hours, the highest daily toll in a week, according to RTÉ News.
Residents said eastern districts of Gaza City came under intense attack, with homes destroyed in Zeitoun and Shejaia. Al-Ahli hospital reported that an airstrike on a house in Zeitoun killed 12 people. Palestinian medics also said Israeli gunfire killed nine people seeking aid in two incidents in central Gaza, while tanks destroyed homes in eastern Khan Younis. The casualty accounts came from local health officials, hospitals and medics; the supplied evidence did not provide independent verification.
The BBC separately reported sustained strikes on Zeitoun and Sabra over three days. Gaza civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said homes had been extensively damaged and that continuing attacks prevented residents from reaching some of the dead and wounded. Israel had not announced an exact timetable for entering Gaza City, although its war cabinet had approved a takeover and the military said it was entering a new stage of combat.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces were instructed to dismantle what he called two remaining Hamas strongholds, one in Gaza City and another near al-Mawasi. The proposed expansion drew international criticism because of widespread displacement, destruction and hunger. Twenty-four countries urged Israel to allow unrestricted aid, while the United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, Canada and Japan called for concrete steps to increase deliveries and reverse starvation.
The World Health Organization asked Israel for permission to stock hospitals with medicines and other supplies before the city operation. Its representative in the Palestinian territories, Rik Peeperkorn, said the volume of aid entering Gaza remained far too low. The Gaza Health Ministry reported eight additional deaths from starvation or malnutrition during the same 24-hour period, including three children, bringing its total since the war began to 235. Israel disputed the ministry's hunger figures and said it was increasing supplies through truck convoys, fuel deliveries and airdrops. The United Nations and Palestinians said the assistance still fell well short of need.
Diplomatic efforts continued alongside the fighting. Hamas's chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, met Egyptian officials in Cairo to discuss ending the war and delivering aid. Egyptian security sources said talks also covered a possible comprehensive ceasefire under which Hamas would give up governing Gaza and surrender its weapons. A Hamas official said the group would consider proposals tied to an Israeli withdrawal but would not disarm beforehand.
The assault and impending city operation therefore unfolded on two connected tracks: escalating military pressure and renewed mediation. With hospitals seeking emergency stocks and governments warning about food access, the consequences depended not only on the scope of Israel's offensive but also on whether aid and ceasefire talks produced immediate results.
