Thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday over the government’s failure to secure the return of hostages from Gaza, while Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip killed more than a dozen people overnight. The conflict, which began with a Hamas attack on October 7, has resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Meanwhile, violence has also surged in the West Bank, where an American protester was killed, prompting her family to call for a U.S. investigation. As international pressure mounts for a ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on retaining control of Gaza’s border with Egypt. Clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continued along the Lebanon border.
Quick Read
- Thousands of Israelis protested Saturday over the government’s failure to secure the return of hostages from Gaza.
- Israeli airstrikes in Gaza overnight killed more than a dozen people, including civilians.
- Health workers in Gaza are completing the second phase of a polio vaccination campaign amid the ongoing conflict.
- The conflict, which began with a Hamas attack on October 7, has led to the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
- An American protester was killed in the West Bank, leading her family to call for a U.S. investigation.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on maintaining control of Gaza’s border with Egypt, complicating ceasefire negotiations.
- Hamas has accused Israel of delaying negotiations by issuing new demands, while offering to release hostages in exchange for an end to the war.
- Clashes continue between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the Lebanon border, with Israeli strikes killing three Lebanese Civil Defense volunteers.
Israelis protest over hostages as airstrikes Intensify, killing over a dozen in Gaza
NEWSLOOKS – DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) —
Thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Saturday in renewed protests over the government’s failure to secure the return of hostages from Gaza, even as Israeli air raids killed more than a dozen people overnight, according to hospital and local authorities. The protests, driven by anger at the government’s handling of the hostage situation, came amid Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza.
In Gaza, the airstrikes targeted central areas, with hospitals reporting multiple casualties. Nine bodies were received at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat after two air raids, one hitting a residential building and the other a house. In Bureij, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported the deaths of a woman and her two children. In northern Gaza, an airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in Jabaliya killed at least four people.
The conflict, which began with a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 that killed around 1,200 people, continues with high casualties on both sides. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry. Israel’s military estimates over 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with about a third believed dead.
Violence has also escalated in the West Bank, where Israeli forces have conducted raids, leaving dozens dead. Protests have erupted after the death of American protester Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, shot during a demonstration against Israeli settlements. Her family has called for an independent U.S. investigation.
Israel remains under pressure from international allies to agree to a cease-fire, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on retaining control of Gaza’s border with Egypt, claiming it is crucial to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons. Egypt and Hamas deny that. Meanwhile, near-daily clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continue along the Lebanon border.
