Israel continues Gaza attacks, killing 60 Palestinians despite Trump ceasefire call

The Israeli army killed at least 60 Palestinians, including a young girl, and injured others in ongoing attacks across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, ignoring US President Donald Trump’s call for an immediate halt to the bombardment, sources and medics said.

Trump on Friday urged Israel to “stop bombing Gaza immediately” after Hamas announced its willingness to release Israeli captives according to his proposal, saying he believed the movement was “ready for lasting peace.”

- Northern Gaza

Six Palestinians were killed and others trapped under the rubble when Israeli warplanes struck a family home in Gaza City’s al-Tuffah neighborhood, medical sources told Anadolu.

The Israeli army also killed 17 Palestinians, including seven children, in an attack on a residential area in the same area.

One Palestinian was killed in a strike on a house on al-Yarmouk Street, while another was killed and several wounded in an airstrike on a civilian gathering near al-Sharq Laboratory in al-Labbabidi area.

At least 14 more Palestinians were killed from various Israeli strikes across the city.

Also in Gaza City, the army carried out extensive demolitions using remote-controlled, booby-trapped robots in the Sabra and Tel al-Hawa neighborhoods to the south, as well as Rimal, Nasr, and Beach Camp areas to the west.

Witnesses said Israeli tanks pulled back slightly from al-Jalaa Street and the Nasr neighborhood, but forces maintained control with low-flying drones firing at any movement.

Israel’s government approved a plan in August, proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for the gradual full reoccupation of Gaza, starting with Gaza City. Three days later, the army launched a major assault, destroying homes, towers, displaced people’s tents, and hospitals.

- Central Gaza

In the Nuseirat refugee camp, a young girl was killed and others were injured in a strike on an apartment in al-Ishrin Street.

Another death was reported elsewhere in the central governorate.

In southern Gaza, eight Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling.

A medical source at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said 11 more dead people were transferred to the facility after Israeli attacks in the area.

Israeli artillery shelled several areas in the city, while armored vehicles opened fire indiscriminately toward northern and central parts of the city. Northern Khan Younis also came under renewed shelling.

- Orders to halt operation

Israeli military radio and official KAN broadcaster reported political directives to “halt the Gaza City occupation operation” and “reduce military activity in the strip to purely defensive measures.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel is preparing, in light of Hamas’s response, to implement the first phase of Trump’s plan for the immediate release of all captives.

The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that Netanyahu conducted an urgent overnight assessment with a limited number of ministers, senior military officials, and his negotiation team, excluding Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, both of whom oppose halting the war.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces continue to push residents of Gaza City to evacuate, even after Israeli military radio announced a halt to the occupation operation in the city.

In a statement, the army described the area north of Wadi Gaza as “still a dangerous combat zone,” warning that remaining there poses “a serious risk.”

The army added that it continues to encircle Gaza City and that any attempts to return “pose extreme danger,” cautioning Palestinians against approaching areas where Israeli forces operate across the strip, including in the south.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed over 67,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The UN and rights groups have repeatedly warned that the enclave is being rendered uninhabitable, with starvation and disease spreading rapidly.