Deadly Strikes in Gaza: At Least 81 Palestinians Killed, Over 400 Injured, Says Hamas-Run Health Ministry

In a heart-wrenching turn of events, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has reported that at least 81 Palestinians have lost their lives and over 400 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes across the territory over the past 24 hours. A particularly tragic incident occurred near a stadium in Gaza City, where a strike resulted in the death of at least 11 individuals, including children. The stadium was being used as a temporary shelter for displaced individuals, living in tents.

Footage verified by the BBC shows desperate civilians and emergency responders digging through the sand with their bare hands and spades to locate the bodies of the deceased. The Israeli military has yet to comment on these reported strikes.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump expressed optimism that a ceasefire could be reached within the next week, with Qatari mediators aiming to leverage US pressure to negotiate a deal. This comes after a truce between Israel and Iran brought an end to their 12-day conflict. Previous attempts at a ceasefire, including a two-month truce that collapsed in March, have faced numerous challenges, with the initial agreement set to progress through three stages but failing to make it past the first.

The second stage of the agreement aimed to establish a permanent ceasefire, the return of remaining living hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. On Thursday, a senior Hamas official informed the BBC that mediators have stepped up their efforts to broker a new ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, but negotiations with Israel remain stalled.

A rally was organized in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, calling for a deal to free the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Organizers stressed, "The time has come to end the fighting and bring everyone home in one phase."

Israeli attacks in Gaza continued throughout the day. Friday evening's strike near the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City claimed the lives of at least 11 individuals, as hospital staff and witnesses reported. One witness described the scene, saying, "We were sitting when we suddenly heard a massive explosion after a road was hit. Now the tents are under the sand. We spent hours digging with our bare hands."

Ahmed Qishawi, a witness, stated, "There are no wanted people here, nor any terrorists as they [Israelis] claim... [there are] only civilian residents, children, who were targeted with no mercy." The BBC has verified footage showing civilians and emergency services digging through the sandy ground with their hands and spades to find bodies.

Fourteen more people were reported killed, some of them children, in strikes on an apartment block and a tent in the al-Mawasi area. The strike in al-Mawasi took the lives of three children and their parents, who were asleep at the time, relatives told the Associated Press. "What did these children do to them? What is their fault?" the children's grandmother, Suad Abu Teima, lamented to the news agency.

More fatalities were reported on Saturday afternoon after an air strike on the Tuffah neighborhood near Jaffa School, where hundreds of displaced Gazans were seeking shelter. The strike killed at least eight people, including five children, the Palestinian health ministry said. One witness, Mohammed Haboub, shared his grief with Reuters, saying, "We didn't do anything to them, why do they harm us? Did we harm them? We are civilians."

The health ministry reported that ambulance and civil defence crews were facing difficulties in reaching a number of victims trapped under the rubble and on the roads, due to the impassable conditions in some of the affected areas.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not yet commented on these reported strikes. The IDF released a statement on Saturday evening, confirming the killing of Hakham Muhammad Issa al-Issa, a senior figure in Hamas's military wing, in the area of Sabra in Gaza City on Friday. The IDF stated that al-Issa was one of the founding members of Hamas's military wing, a member of Hamas's general security council, and played a "significant role in the planning and execution" of Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.

The Israeli military launched its bombardment of Gaza in response to the attack, leading to the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 251 others. Since then, over 56,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. This ongoing conflict continues to claim lives and create uncertainty for the people of Gaza and Israel.