At least 71 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip overnight, raising the death toll to over 540 in less than two days since Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza on Tuesday morning, reports stated.
Airstrikes were reported in Khan Younis, Rafah, and other parts of northern and southern Gaza.
The latest wave of attacks has brought the total death toll to approximately 540, including 183 children, since the resumption of Israeli strikes.
Israel maintains that it is targeting Hamas and its infrastructure, attributing civilian casualties to Hamas and allied groups, whom it accuses of using civilians as human shields.
As Israeli ground troops advance in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a "larger and stronger front" in the occupied West Bank, in addition to a "fierce war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip."
These developments coincide with reports that Netanyahu is allegedly seeking to remove Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar over "continuous distrust" following the agency’s failure to prevent the 7 October Hamas assault.
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However, Bar has refuted any intention of stepping down and has stated that Shin Bet repeatedly warned the government about an imminent attack.
Bar remarked, "The investigation showed a longstanding and deliberate disregard by the political echelon for the agency’s warnings."
Western-based think tanks estimate that Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters in Gaza number between 15,000 and 20,000, and around 5,000 respectively, suggesting that Israel has not yet achieved its war objectives.
Many observers question the casualty figures of Hamas fighters as presented by Israeli authorities.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that at least 49,547 Palestinians have been confirmed dead and 112,719 wounded since the start of the war.
Gaza’s Government Media Office revised its death toll to more than 61,700, stating that thousands of people remain trapped under the rubble and are presumed dead.
On the Israeli side, at least 1,139 people were killed in the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.
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