At least 100 people killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, says health ministry

At least 100 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza overnight and into Sunday, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Local medics also report that women and children were among the dead - as Israel launches an escalation of its war in Gaza to ramp up pressure on Hamas. "Complete families were wiped off the civil registration record by Israeli bombardment," Khalil Al-Deqran, Gaza health ministry spokesperson, told the Reuters news agency.

Nasser hospital, in the southern city of Khan Younis, said it received the bodies of 20 people killed in strikes that hit houses and tents in the Muwasi area. Hamas described that as a "new brutal crime".

In central Gaza, at least 10 people were killed in two separate strikes, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in the town of Deir al Balah. Meanwhile, first responders from the health ministry and the civil defence reported at least 36 people were killed in multiple strikes in Jabalia, northern Gaza.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the latest strikes. Israel has blocked the entry of medical, food and fuel supplies into Gaza since the start of March.

It is attempting to pressurise Hamas into freeing Israeli hostages and has approved plans that could involve seizing the whole of Gaza and controlling aid. It comes as peace talks between Israel and Hamas take place in Qatar this weekend, although sources told Reuters there had been no breakthrough.

Sky News Arabia reported that Hamas had proposed freeing about half its Israeli hostages in exchange for a two-month ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. A Palestinian official close to the talks said: "Hamas is flexible about the number of hostages it can free, but the problem has always been over Israel's commitment to end the war." Earlier on Sunday, Gaza's health ministry issued a statement accusing Israel of "intensifying its systematic campaign to target hospitals".

"After putting the European Gaza Hospital out of service a few days ago, the Israeli occupation has intensified its targeting and siege of the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip since dawn today," it added. Israel has previously denied deliberately targeting civilians and accused Hamas of using hospitals for military purposes.

This week, Israel said it had bombed the European Hospital because it was home to an underground Hamas base, but Sky News analysis has cast doubt on its evidence. Separately, the Israeli military said on Sunday it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said they had targeted Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv with two ballistic missiles. The Houthis have fired at Israel because of the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, while Israel has carried out airstrikes in response, including one on 6 May that damaged Yemen's main airport in Sanaa and killed several people.

The conflict began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. Israel's military response has seen the deaths of more than 53,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants.

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