Israeli Military Intensifies Gaza Strikes as 17-Day Conflict’s Death Toll Reaches 7,600

Israeli military forces are escalating airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, intensifying the 17-day conflict that has already resulted in around 7,600 deaths on all sides. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari revealed on Sunday that the IDF had killed “dozens” of Hamas operatives, including Muhamad Qatmash, the deputy head of Hamas’ artillery array in Gaza. Simultaneously, tensions are rising on Israel’s northern front and in the West Bank.

Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, confirmed the death of at least one Israeli soldier during an ambush near Khan Younis. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hizbullah not to open a second war front. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said Hizbullah would not intervene unless Israel initiated a large-scale invasion of Gaza or heavily attacked Lebanon.

In related news, Israel announced evacuation plans for 14 communities near its northern border, following exchanges of fire between the Israeli military and Hizbullah in southern Lebanon. In the West Bank, a rare Israeli airstrike on a Jenin mosque killed two people identified by Israel as Hamas and Islamic Jihad combatants who were organizing an “imminent terror attack” from a compound under the mosque. More than 90 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers and civilians since Hamas launched its incursion and massacres in Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7.