Israeli strikes kill over 115 Palestinians as Trump suggests to 'take' Gaza

The Israeli military intensified its airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, leaving more than 100 Palestinians killed even as ceasefire talks resumed in Qatar.

What happened: The Palestinian Quds News Network cited medical sources saying that 115 Palestinians, mostly women and children, had been killed since dawn on Thursday in a wave of Israeli attacks on residential areas and displaced camps.

The total casualties include at least 61 people killed in a series of strikes in Khan Younis, in the south, according to local media and reports.

Among the casualties in Khan Yunis were two journalists identified as Ahmed Helo, who worked for the Quds News Network, and Hasan Samour, who worked for the Qatari Al Araby TV network, along with 11 of his family members.

The Israeli attacks also hit a prayer hall and a charity clinic in the Jabaliya refugee camp, in northern Gaza, leaving 15 people dead, including 11 women and children.

Meanwhile, in Gaza City, thousands of people were reported fleeing after the Israeli military warned civilians to evacuate al-Rimal neighborhood.

Background: In a Wednesday evening post on X, the military accused Hamas of continuing to use civilian facilities, including hospitals and educational institutions, to conduct "terrorist activities" and exploit the civilian population as human shields, endangering their lives.

“The IDF will continue to operate against terrorist organizations in the Strip in order to protect the citizens of the State of Israel and is prepared to expand the scope of the operation as necessary,” the Israeli military wrote.

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip said Wednesday that 2,799 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel resumed its offensive in mid-March, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces to 52,928 since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

In retaliation for Hamas’ unprecedented cross-border assault, during which militants killed nearly 1,200 people and took around 250 others hostage, Israel launched a major air and ground campaign in Gaza that same month.

A temporary ceasefire brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States that began on Jan. 19 had brought a brief lull in the fighting in Gaza, but Israel renewed attacks across the enclave on March 18 following disagreement over whether to extend the first phase of the ceasefire.

Hamas is believed to still hold 57 hostages in Gaza, including 34 that the Israeli military says are dead.

In a statement on Thursday, the Palestinian militant group condemned the Israeli escalation in the preceding 24 hours, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of undermining mediation efforts to reach a new agreement for the release of the remaining hostages in return for a pause in the fighting.

“Netanyahu wants an endless war and does not care about the fate of the hostages,” Hamas added.

Negotiations on a new deal began in Doha on Wednesday, after Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander was released from Gaza on Monday under a deal negotiated between the Donald Trump administration and Hamas.

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met with Qatari officials and the families of hostages in the Qatari capital on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera, while Netanyahu sent a delegation to Doha to discuss a new deal.

According to Israel's Channel 12, Witkoff has proposed a new formula that includes a complete halt of the fighting and the release of the remaining hostages, during which talks on terms for ending the war would be held.

Know more: The renewed effort to reach a deal coincided with US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Arab Gulf region this week. Speaking in Doha on Thursday, he suggested that the United States should “take” the Gaza Strip and turn it into a “freedom zone.”

“I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good, make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone,” Trump told reporters in Doha, on the second leg of a Middle East visit.

“I'd be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone, let some good things happen. Put people in homes where they can be safe,” he added.

Trump met earlier on Wednesday with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad during a state dinner in Doha.

The Qatari emir urged Trump to push for a deal on Gaza, saying, “Mr. President, your involvement could catalyse a breakthrough where others have stalled.”

“ Our teams are engaged in intensive diplomacy to secure a ceasefire in Gaza to protect all civilians, especially innocent women and children, and ensure the release of all hostages,” Sheikh Tamim added.