Overnight Israeli bombing of Gaza kills 125

Overnight, there was a significant Israeli bombardment in Gaza, resulting in at least 125 casualties, reported the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory on Wednesday. Meanwhile, talks in Cairo aimed at achieving a truce are ongoing.

During the conflict, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA disclosed that Israeli forces issued new evacuation orders for a section of Khan Yunis, housing approximately half a million residents and displaced individuals.

Simultaneously, the World Food Programme warned of “catastrophic food insecurity” in Gaza. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticised Israel for rejecting a two-state solution, considered by the United States as the only viable path to lasting peace.

The most intense fighting occurred in Khan Yunis, the birthplace of Hamas’s Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar, accused of masterminding the October 7 attacks that triggered the conflict. The Israeli military claimed to have “encircled” the southern city, intensifying operations in the area, including the Khan Yunis refugee camp.

According to the health ministry, Gaza hospitals received the bodies of 125 people killed overnight. The Hamas government reported over 200 casualties without specifying the time frame. It accused the Israeli army of forcibly displacing “tens of thousands” from Khan Yunis to Rafah, a city in south Gaza near the Egyptian frontier.

Additionally, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that three displaced individuals were killed, and three others were wounded when Israeli forces targeted its headquarters in the southern city.