Israel kills more than 70 in predawn attacks on Gaza’s north, south

By Desmond Nleya
Media reports in Gaza say that at least 71 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed in predawn attacks by Israel in the north and south of the territory.
The latest killings will add to the Gaza Health Ministry’s death toll of some 436 Palestinians, including 183 children, killed since Israel shattered the ceasefire on Tuesday.
As Israeli ground troops join the attack on Gaza, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a “larger and stronger front” in the occupied West Bank in addition to “fierce war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip”.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 49,547 Palestinians have been confirmed dead and 112,719 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza. Gaza’s Government Media Office updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of Palestinians missing under the rubble are presumed dead. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks and more than 200 were taken captive.