By Olatunbosun Obafemi
Gaza endured one of its deadliest days in recent weeks on Monday as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 60 people across the besieged enclave.
The attacks came ahead of a renewed U.S.-backed push for a ceasefire, with Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer heading to Washington for talks focused on Gaza and Iran.
Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to meet Trump administration officials beginning Tuesday, following Donald Trump’s call to “make the deal in Gaza” and secure the release of hostages.
Despite diplomatic movements, the situation on the ground remains dire. In northern Gaza, Israeli forces issued new evacuation orders, triggering another wave of mass displacement. Tanks advanced into eastern neighborhoods of Gaza City, while airstrikes hit schools and residential buildings.
Residents described a relentless assault. “It felt like earthquakes,” said Salah, a 60-year-old father of five. “They bombed schools and homes. Explosions never stopped.”
The Israeli military has not commented on the strikes but claims Hamas embeds its fighters among civilians. Hamas denies this. The new offensive targets areas previously devastated by Israeli operations, where much of the population had already fled.
Meanwhile, ceasefire negotiations brokered by Egypt and Qatar remain stalled. A Hamas official said progress depends on Israel agreeing to end the war and withdraw. Israel maintains that the war will continue until Hamas is disarmed and dismantled.
The war, which began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in a surprise attack on Israel and took 251 hostages, has since devastated Gaza. Over 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed, according to the Gaza health ministry.
The United Nations reports that more than 80% of the enclave is now either militarized or under evacuation orders, with 2.3 million people caught in an escalating humanitarian catastrophe.
