At least 146 Palestinians killed in latest Israeli airstrikes in Gaza: health officials

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: May 17, 2025 8:17 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Israel's airforce killed astatine slightest 146 Palestinians successful caller attacks connected Gaza implicit the past 24 hours and injured galore more, section wellness authorities said connected Saturday, arsenic the state appeared acceptable to property up with a caller crushed offensive.

Israeli strikes since Thursday person seen 1 of the deadliest phases of bombardment since a truce collapsed successful March. The latest strikes came arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump ended his Middle East circuit connected Friday with nary evident advancement toward a caller ceasefire.

"Since midnight, we person received 58 martyrs, portion a ample fig of victims stay nether the rubble. The concern wrong the infirmary is catastrophic," said Marwan Al-Sultan, the manager of the Indonesian Hospital successful bluish Gaza.

Local wellness authorities said 459 radical had been injured successful Israeli strikes successful the past 24 hours.

Israel's subject said connected Saturday it was conducting extended strikes and mobilizing troops arsenic portion of preparations to grow operations successful the Gaza Strip and execute "operational control" successful areas of the Palestinian enclave.

The Gaza wellness strategy is hardly operational, with hospitals deed repeatedly by the Israeli subject during the 19-month warfare and aesculapian supplies drying up arsenic Israel tightened its blockade since March.

The escalation, which includes the build-up of armoured forces on the border, is portion of the archetypal stages of Operation Gideon's Wagons, which Israel says is aimed astatine defeating Hamas and getting its hostages back.

Israel 'gradually increasing' forces

An Israeli defence authoritative said earlier this period the cognition would not beryllium launched earlier Trump concluded his sojourn to the Middle East.

"We are gradually expanding forces; Hamas remains defiant," the subject said connected Saturday.

United Nations experts pass that famine looms successful Gaza aft Israel blocked assistance deliveries to the portion 76 days ago, with UN assistance main Tom Fletcher asking the Security Council this week if it would act to "prevent genocide."

WATCH | Israel intensifies deadly bombardment successful Gaza: 

Trump connected Friday acknowledged Gaza's increasing hunger situation and the request for assistance deliveries, arsenic planetary unit grows connected Israel to resume ceasefire talks and extremity its blockade of Gaza.

A U.S.-backed instauration aims to commencement distributing assistance to Gazans by the extremity of May, utilizing backstage U.S. information and logistics firms, but the UN has said it won't enactment with the instauration due to the fact that it is not impartial, neutral oregon independent.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said connected May 5 that Israel was readying an expanded, intensive violative against Hamas arsenic his information furniture approved plans that could impact seizing the full Gaza Strip and controlling aid.

On Friday, Israel's subject ordered Gazans to determination southbound aft dense strikes successful the bluish municipality of Beit Lahiya and the Jabalia exile camp. Residents, however, said tanks were advancing toward the confederate metropolis of Khan Younis.

Israel's declared extremity successful Gaza is the elimination of the subject and governmental capabilities of Hamas, which attacked Israeli communities connected October 7, 2023, sidesplitting astir 1,200 radical and seizing astir 250 hostages.

Its subject run has devastated the tiny, crowded enclave, pushing astir each its 2 cardinal inhabitants from their homes and sidesplitting much than 53,000 people, according to Gaza wellness authorities.