Gaza medics and rescue teams reported on Monday that Israeli airstrikes targeting several homes resulted in the deaths of at least 18 people.
Amid the ongoing conflict, Hamas asserted its capacity to continue fighting nearly a year into the war.
The recent strikes coincide with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s warning about diminishing chances for a ceasefire along the Lebanon border with Hezbollah militants, escalating concerns of a broader regional conflict.
Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, stated during an interview with AFP in Istanbul on Sunday, “The resistance has a high ability to continue.”
He acknowledged the losses suffered but emphasized the “accumulation of experiences and the recruitment of new generations into the resistance.”
This statement came shortly after Gallant had declared that Hamas no longer exists as a military entity in Gaza following its October 7 attack, which initiated the current conflict.
In the Gaza Strip, fighting continued with survivors searching through the ruins of collapsed buildings.
A strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed ten people and wounded 15 others.
Rashed al-Qassas, a surviving family member, recounted the incident: “My house was hit while we were sleeping without any prior warning.
There are many martyrs, among them the sons of my family and my little grandsons.”
Gaza’s civil defense reported that six Palestinians died in a nighttime strike on a house in Gaza City’s Zeitun neighborhood, and another strike in Rafah killed two people.
The October 7 attack that initiated the war resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mainly civilians, according to Israeli figures.
Militants also took 251 hostages, with 97 still held in Gaza.
Israel’s military response has since claimed at least 41,226 lives in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilian and militant casualties.
The conflict has drawn in Iran-backed fighters from across the region, including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.
The northern border with Lebanon remains tense, with fears of a wider war.
Gallant told US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that an agreement in the northern arena is becoming less likely as Hezbollah continues its association with Hamas.
He reiterated Israel’s intention to remove Hezbollah from southern Lebanon to ensure the safe return of northern Israeli communities.
US envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Israel to help defuse the escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah has engaged in nearly daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces since October 7.
Hezbollah’s deputy chief Naim Qassem stated that his group has “no intention of going to war,” but warned of significant losses if conflict escalates.
The violence has so far killed 623 people in Lebanon, mostly fighters but including at least 141 civilians, while Israel has reported 24 soldiers and 26 civilian deaths.
Gallant’s warnings follow a rare missile attack on central Israel by Yemen’s Huthi rebels on Sunday, which caused no casualties but provoked retaliation threats from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“They should have known by now that we charge a heavy price for any attempt to harm us,” Netanyahu said.
The Huthis claimed they had penetrated Israel’s air defenses, although Israel reported the missile likely broke up mid-air.
The Huthis have previously launched strikes against Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, disrupting global shipping through vital waterways off Yemen.
Huthi leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi stated that their operations would continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza persisted, indicating potential for increased regional involvement in the conflict.
AFP
