Israeli Airstrikes Kill Over 60 Palestinians in Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict

Palestinian and Israeli civilians are struggling to survive in a conflict zone where airstrikes have become almost a daily occurrence. Israeli forces have been carrying out a campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, leading to a soaring death toll among Palestinians. A recent strike on a crowded "safe zone" in southern Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 60 Palestinians, including one that hit a market street lined with market stalls. The Israeli military has said it is pursuing Hamas militants hiding among civilians after offensives uprooted underground tunnel networks.

Key Takeaways:

• Over 60 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern and central Gaza overnight, including one that struck an Israeli-declared "safe zone" crowded with thousands of displaced people.
• Airstrikes in recent days have brought a constant drumbeat of deaths of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, even as Israel has pulled back or scaled down major ground offensives in the north and south.
• Almost daily strikes have hit the "safe zone" covering some 60 square kilometers along the Mediterranean coast, where Israel told fleeing Palestinians to take refuge to escape ground assaults.
• The Israeli military said it targeted a commander in Islamic Jihad's naval unit, but denied killing civilians, despite reports from officials at Khan Younis's Nasser Hospital that 17 people were killed.
• The attack hit a main street lined with market stalls outside the southern city of Khan Younis in Muwasi, at the heart of the zone that is packed with tent camps.
• International mediators are working to push Israel and Hamas toward a deal that would halt the fighting and free about 120 hostages held by the militant group in Gaza.
• The Israeli military has eliminated half of the leadership of Hamas's military wing, and killed six brigade commanders, over 20 battalion commanders and approximately 150 company commanders from Hamas's ranks.