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Israeli air strikes hit Gaza for a fifth day, killing nearly 100 Palestinians, even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is committed to continuing to engage in negotiations to end the war with Hamas.
The new offensive, which started on Tuesday with the assassination of the Gaza chief of Hamas, was authorized by the far -right security firm of Netanyahu to occupy most of the enclave and forced its 2.1 million civilians to approximately one tenth of the territory near the Egyptian border.
But Netanyahu also launched military operations as part of a new tactic of “fire negotiations”, which threatens Hamas with a permanent loss of territory unless the militant group yields to pressure by releasing Israeli hostages without permanent truce.
“Even on time [a US] Proposal or as part of the end of the fighting, which would include the release of all hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists and the demilitarization of strip, “Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday morning.
The Israeli army has killed hundreds of Palestinians since its launch of the tanks of Operation Gideon this week, including at least 350 in the last three days, according to local health officials. On Sunday at noon, the bodies of 96 people were brought to the few functional hospitals in Gaza, according to a preliminary count of the Ministry of Health.
He also prevented food, medication and freshwater from entering Gaza for more than two and a half months. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are already hungry, said a United Nations panel earlier this week.
Israel has not yet confirmed if its strikes at the European hospital have killed Mohammad Sinwar, which took over the reins of the militant group on Tuesday after Israel, killed his brother Yahya Sinwar, the long -standing Hamas leader who orchestrated the cross raids of October 7.
But two Saudi media reported on Sunday that Sinwar had been killed in the strike. Defense Minister Israel Katz also informed local officials, the Israeli media reported. Sinwar’s other brother, professor in a local university, was also killed overnight, according to a shared death notice in Gaza.
Israel has intensified the intensity of its air strikes earlier this week while US President Donald Trump finished his Gulf tour.
Israeli officials had previously described his trip as a “opportunity window” to negotiate an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners who would be acceptable to Netanyahu and his extremely right allies. In the case, Trump has negotiated the release of a single Israeli soldier, who is also an American national.
It is estimated that 20 hostages and the bodies of up to 38 others are still detained by Hamas, who refused to constantly release them and the total withdrawal of Israeli forces.
More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, most women and children, according to local health officials.
According to Israeli officials, at least 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the cross -border attack in Hamas on October 7, 2023 and 250.