Israel (Washington Insider Magazine)—The Israeli military has intensified airstrikes across the Gaza Strip as officials engage in discussions regarding a new proposal aimed at ending hostilities and facilitating prisoner exchanges.
In the southern part of Gaza, air raids were reported overnight on Sunday in multiple areas, including Rafah, where ground invasions are expanding, and Khan Younis. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, at least 12 individuals, including women and children, lost their lives in these attacks.
In central Gaza, multiple airstrikes targeted the Bureji refugee camp, resulting in six fatalities. Strikes on the nearby Nuseirat camp killed four more, while an additional seven were killed in the az-Zawayda area. In Jabalia, northern Gaza, civil defense crews reported ongoing efforts to recover bodies following the withdrawal of Israeli forces, with many areas devastated and dozens of bodies retrieved after a 20-day military operation.
Since October 7, over 36,439 Palestinians, primarily women and children, have been reported killed, with more than 82,000 injured and thousands still unaccounted for, according to the enclave’s Ministry of Health.
These latest strikes coincided with renewed discussions surrounding a ceasefire proposal. The three-phase plan aims to resolve the conflict through a prisoner exchange, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the rebuilding of the enclave. The White House has communicated to Hamas that acceptance of this plan, announced by President Joe Biden, is expected to lead to Israeli approval.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed the plan as “partial.” A government spokesman stated that the war would only cease to facilitate the return of hostages, with subsequent discussions focused on Israel’s objective of eradicating Hamas.
Netanyahu clarified that claims of an agreed-upon ceasefire without fulfilling Israeli conditions are inaccurate. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant emphasized the need for a viable alternative to Hamas’s governance in Gaza. War cabinet minister Benny Gantz has warned of resigning unless Netanyahu reaches a post-war agreement by June 8.
Netanyahu faces pressure from both ultranationalist ministers threatening to exit the coalition over a ceasefire and opposition leader Yair Lapid advocating for the acceptance of the deal. Families of hostages are also urging the government to consider the proposal, placing Netanyahu in a difficult position.
In addition to the ongoing conflict with Hamas, the Israeli military continues to engage in low-level confrontations with Iran-linked groups in neighboring Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria. An airstrike early Monday hit a factory near Aleppo, reportedly killing at least 12 Iran-linked fighters. These regional operations have raised concerns about escalating tensions, particularly following a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus earlier this year, which triggered rare direct hostilities between Iran and Israel.
