Israeli air and artillery strikes have pummeled the besieged enclave since Saturday, Oct. 4, in what was denounced as a “continued campaign of massacres” against a defenseless population.
The Gaza Government Media Office said Israel “continues its aggression against our Palestinian people, disregarding the ceasefire call announced by President Donald Trump and the positive response to his proposal.”
Between dawn on Saturday and the end of Tuesday, Oct. 7, Israel launched more than 230 strikes targeting civilian neighborhoods, refugee shelters, and displacement areas across Gaza’s governorates.
At least 118 civilians — including women and children — were killed, with 72 deaths reported in Gaza City alone. The statement condemned Israel for deliberately targeting residential areas to maximize civilian casualties.
Local authorities held Israel “fully responsible for the continued massacres” and urged the US and international community to take “serious, effective and urgent action” to stop the campaign of collective punishment.
Trump on Saturday urged Israel to halt its bombardment following a positive response from Hamas to his 20-point ceasefire proposal. He said on Truth Social the following day that talks had been “positive” and were “proceeding rapidly.”
Despite this, Israel pressed on with its attacks while indirect negotiations between Israeli and Hamas representatives resumed Monday in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, mediated by Cairo and Doha.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the talks aimed to facilitate a hostage-prisoner exchange, ensure the entry of humanitarian aid, and discuss Israeli troop redeployment maps as a step toward withdrawal from Gaza.
Since October 2023, Israel’s bombardment campaign has killed more than 67,100 Palestinians — the overwhelming majority women and children — leaving much of Gaza in ruins and uninhabitable.