Tel Aviv - Israeli forces clashed with Hamas militants throughout the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to the Israeli military. This further intensified their involvement in the devastated enclave, with the Palestinian death toll rising due to continuous airstrikes over the past 12 weeks of conflict.
On Saturday, the Gaza Health Ministry reported 165 people killed in the previous 24 hours, adding to the total of over 21,500 casualties in Gaza since the conflict began on October 7. The Israeli military claimed to have destroyed the Gaza City apartment of Yehia Sinwar, whom they consider the mastermind behind the Hamas-led attacks into Israel.
Despite growing global outrage and impatience over the humanitarian impact, the Biden administration announced on Friday that it was approving a $147.5 million sale of artillery munitions and related equipment to Israel, bypassing the congressional review process using an emergency provision.
Hamas denounced the U.S. ammunition provision as evidence of American sponsorship of the ongoing conflict. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces mounting pressure to deescalate the situation, but he declared last week that Israel would intensify the fighting in the coming days.
Netanyahu reiterated on Saturday that Israel would persist in its campaign until achieving victory, stating that the war could continue for "many more months." Israeli airstrikes targeted central and southern Gaza, hitting areas designated for the safety of displaced civilians.
Despite Israel's claims of killing thousands of Hamas militants, including commanders, Yehia Sinwar remains elusive. The Israeli military has offered a reward for information leading to his arrest. Sinwar, a founding member of Hamas, spent decades in Israeli prisons before being released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange.
The recent army statement described an underground headquarters linked to Sinwar's apartment, part of a tunnel network used by senior Hamas officials. The complex was reported to be about 20 yards underground, equipped with ventilation, electricity, sewage connections, and linked to a 250-yard tunnel with rooms for prayers and resting.
Hamas leaders are believed to be sheltering in deep tunnels beneath Gaza, with the underground infrastructure largely intact despite Israeli efforts to demolish shafts. The conflict's toll includes thousands of civilian casualties, and video footage from southern Gaza showed the aftermath of strikes on residential homes, highlighting the humanitarian crisis in the region.
The strikes also affected areas under Israeli evacuation orders, complicating the situation for displaced families. The conflict has taken a severe toll on journalists, with the Committee to Protect Journalists reporting that at least 69 journalists and media workers have been killed since October 7.