Israeli airstrikes increase Gaza death toll despite fresh ceasefire effort.

Israel stated on Friday that it had conducted out airstrikes on dozens of Hamas sites in Gaza in the previous 24 hours, in raids that Palestinian health officials said had killed more than 110 Palestinians in two days.

The increase in activities and injuries coincides with a fresh attempt to end the 15-month-old conflict and return Israeli detainees before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.Israeli mediators were deployed to continue discussions in Doha sponsored by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, and on Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, which is assisting in the negotiations, pushed Hamas to reach an agreement. Hamas stated that it was dedicated to achieving a deal, although it is unclear how close the two parties were.

The Israeli military claimed it had targeted around 40 Hamas gathering locations as well as command and control centers. It stated that it had taken several steps to decrease the chance of civilian casualties, including the use of precision weapons, aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.  It accused Hamas, the Islamist movement that formerly governed Gaza, of stationing fighters in civilian places, including buildings once used as schools, where forces discovered a lot of weapons.

Hamas denies that it purposely exploits civilians to hide fighters. On Friday, the military warned inhabitants in al-Bureij, central Gaza, to evacuate ahead of an operation launched in response to rocket assaults from the region. It advised citizens to relocate to the humanitarian zone for their safety .

Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers have been fighting Hamas rebels in communities at the northern end of the enclave for the last month, discovering weapons caches and subterranean infrastructure, according to the IDF.  Israel initiated its assault on Gaza in reaction to a Hamas offensive on Oct. 7, 2023, in which terrorists assaulted border settlements from Gaza, killing around 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 captives, according to Israeli estimates.
According to the Gaza health ministry, its military assault, which has the proclaimed objective of destroying Hamas, has destroyed sections of the territory, pushing the majority of Palestinians from their homes and killing 45,658 people.

The US, Egypt, and Qatar have been attempting to broker a cease-fire and hostage release for a year with little success, and they are making another effort this month before Trump’s inauguration.  Ceasefire efforts have often run into a fundamental disagreement on how to resolve the fight. Hamas said it will accept an arrangement and free the prisoners only if Israel agrees to cease the fighting. Israel says it would cease attacking only once Hamas is eliminated.

On Friday, Hamas stated that it desired “a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip” and the return of displaced residents to their homes throughout the enclave. US President Joe Biden has consistently urged for a cease-fire accord. Trump has stated that “all hell is going to break out” if a deal to rescue the hostages is not reached before his inauguration. Israel’s military has invaded almost every corner of Gaza, but it is still fighting Hamas terrorists who are conducting guerilla warfare across the rubble of the little territory. Over the autumn, Israel’s military began serious warfare in northern Gaza, where it has repeatedly ordered all residents to flee, while heavy bombings continued in the south.

Israel’s military claimed on Thursday that attacks targeted Hamas terrorists in the southern city of Khan Younis as well as the Mawasi displaced persons camp, which it has designated as a humanitarian zone.  When asked about Thursday’s estimated death toll, an Israeli military spokeswoman stated the battle in Gaza was conducted in accordance with international law and that “feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm” were taken.