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Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen clashed in various parts of the Gaza Strip over the weekend, both the sides reported on Sunday.
Efforts to reach a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas remained uncertain. Israel expressed its intention to expand its operations to destroy Hamas, while the Islamist group demanded a permanent end to the ongoing conflict.
Residents said Israeli forces were shelling several areas of the enclave, as tanks entered Beit Lahiya and soldiers engaged in battles with gunmen in the Zeitoun sector of Gaza City.
Medics said that at least 86 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes since Saturday and Israel’s military said two soldiers died in fighting in southern Gaza and claimed to have killed or captured several Palestinian gunmen in Zeitoun and other areas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a briefing with his war cabinet on Saturday, after intelligence chiefs met with mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States in Paris to discuss a potential second Gaza ceasefire.
The first pause in fighting, in November, resulted in the release of around half of the 253 people Hamas had seized during a cross-border killing spree. Israel had freed three times the number of Palestinians from its security prisons and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Israeli media, citing unnamed officials, reported a framework for the return of approximately one-third of the 130 remaining hostages over a six-week truce during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. However, there has been no official confirmation from either side.
Palestinian officials said that Hamas insisted on Israel halting its offensive and withdrawing forces as part of any agreement.
“We are working to achieve another framework for the release of our abductees, as well as the completion of the elimination of the Hamas battalions in Rafah,” Netanyahu said on Facebook, referring to the town in the far south of Gaza near the border with Egypt.
He added that this week, the Israeli security cabinet is expected to approve military plans for Rafah, including the evacuation of over a million displaced Palestinian civilians who have sought shelter there.
According to Gaza medical officials, nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war. The Hamas raid on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people in Israel, and the country has lost 241 soldiers in ground fighting in Gaza.
(With input from agencies)
Efforts to reach a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas remained uncertain. Israel expressed its intention to expand its operations to destroy Hamas, while the Islamist group demanded a permanent end to the ongoing conflict.
Residents said Israeli forces were shelling several areas of the enclave, as tanks entered Beit Lahiya and soldiers engaged in battles with gunmen in the Zeitoun sector of Gaza City.
Medics said that at least 86 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes since Saturday and Israel’s military said two soldiers died in fighting in southern Gaza and claimed to have killed or captured several Palestinian gunmen in Zeitoun and other areas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a briefing with his war cabinet on Saturday, after intelligence chiefs met with mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States in Paris to discuss a potential second Gaza ceasefire.
The first pause in fighting, in November, resulted in the release of around half of the 253 people Hamas had seized during a cross-border killing spree. Israel had freed three times the number of Palestinians from its security prisons and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Israeli media, citing unnamed officials, reported a framework for the return of approximately one-third of the 130 remaining hostages over a six-week truce during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. However, there has been no official confirmation from either side.
Palestinian officials said that Hamas insisted on Israel halting its offensive and withdrawing forces as part of any agreement.
“We are working to achieve another framework for the release of our abductees, as well as the completion of the elimination of the Hamas battalions in Rafah,” Netanyahu said on Facebook, referring to the town in the far south of Gaza near the border with Egypt.
He added that this week, the Israeli security cabinet is expected to approve military plans for Rafah, including the evacuation of over a million displaced Palestinian civilians who have sought shelter there.
According to Gaza medical officials, nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war. The Hamas raid on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people in Israel, and the country has lost 241 soldiers in ground fighting in Gaza.
(With input from agencies)
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