Israel amped up its bombing campaign against Gaza just hours after President Donald Trump urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire agreement.
The latest bombardment against the occupied Palestinian territory represents one of the worst nights of strikes in several weeks, and was followed Monday morning by new evacuation orders from the Israeli military for a number of areas in the north of the strip, raising the spectre of further ground assaults.
Only on Saturday, Trump had posted to his Truth Social platform calling on the Israelis to “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA” and “GET THE HOSTAGES BACK” after more than 20 months of near-constant conflict in the territory, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
His comments came ahead of Monday’s scheduled White House visit by Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and other officials to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as a stay of hostilities with Iran and other prospective diplomatic deals across the region.
The overnight strikes reportedly killed at least 25 people, including 10 fatalities in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City, where Israeli tanks are understood to have rolled in as aircrafts bombed at least four school buildings.
“Explosions never stopped; they bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes,” one Gaza City resident told Irish broadcaster RTE. “In the news we hear a ceasefire is near, on the ground we see death and we hear explosions.
Earlier on Friday, Israel’s military said its ground operations in the occupied territory were close to achieving their goals, with Netanyahu adding Sunday that progress had presented new openings for retrieving the estimated 20 hostages believed to still be alive after the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel carried out by Hamas.
Israel’s defiant continuation of its campaign against Gaza represents an embarrassing turn for Trump, who in the aftermath of joint strikes against Iran published a gushing Truth Social post only last week decrying corruption charges against Netanyahu as a “ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War Time Prime Minister.”
“Bibi and I just went through HELL together, fighting a very tough and brilliant longtime enemy of Israel, Iran, and Bibi could not have been better, sharper, or stronger in his LOVE for the incredible Holy Land,” the president said.
“Anybody else would have suffered losses, embarrassment, and chaos! Bibi Netanyahu is a WARRIOR, like perhaps no other Warrior in the History of Israel,” he added.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
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