Seven people have been killed in Gaza as Israel continued air strikes despite US President Donald Trump’s appeal to halt bombardments.
According to Gaza’s civil defence agency, Israel launched dozens of air raids and artillery strikes on Gaza City overnight, ignoring Trump’s request for a ceasefire after Hamas submitted its response to a proposed deal.
“Last night was extremely violent, with the [Israeli army] carrying out dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City and other areas of the Strip, despite President Trump’s call to stop the bombing,” civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
He added that 20 homes were destroyed in the overnight assault.
Gaza City’s Baptist Hospital said in a statement that it had received casualties from an attack on a house in the Tuffah neighbourhood, which left four people dead and several others injured.
Meanwhile, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported that a drone strike on a tent sheltering displaced families killed two children and wounded eight others.
The escalation came shortly after Hamas formally responded to Trump’s Gaza peace plan. The group expressed readiness to release all Israeli captives but requested negotiations on other points of the 20-clause proposal.
Trump, who had set a Sunday deadline for Hamas to respond, reacted by demanding that Israel immediately stop its bombing campaign in Gaza.
