Israeli forces withdrew from some Gaza City neighborhoods overnight after a week-long military offensive that left dozens dead and homes and roads destroyed in the Palestinian enclave’s largest urban area, residents and rescue services said on Friday (12).
The offensive, carried out during Israel’s campaign to eliminate Hamas fighters, came as U.S.-backed mediators were trying to finalize a peace deal that would free the remaining hostages taken by fighters in the Oct. 7 attack.
Gaza’s Civil Emergency Service said teams had collected around 60 bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces over the past week in the Tel Al-Hawa area and around the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City.
Both residents and rescue workers warned that although tanks had withdrawn from some areas, Israeli snipers and tanks continued to control the high ground in some locations, and warned residents not to attempt to return to their homes in those areas.
“There are bodies scattered in the streets, dismembered bodies, there are bodies of entire families, there are also bodies inside a house of an entire family that was completely burned,” Gaza Strip Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said in comments carried by media in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
The Israeli military said Thursday (11) that its forces were working to dismantle Hamas’ capabilities in Gaza City and that they “follow international law and take all possible precautions to mitigate harm to civilians.”
The armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they fought fierce battles against Israeli forces, attacking them with anti-tank rockets and mortars, killing and wounding many people. There was no comment from the Israeli military on these allegations.
Home to more than a quarter of Gaza’s pre-war residents, Gaza City was largely razed by the end of 2023, but hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have returned to live in the ruins. Israel has once again ordered them to leave, though it is unclear where residents can safely go. Israel controls most of Gaza’s borders and is also attacking the central and southern Gaza Strip.
Arab mediators, backed by the United States, are trying to reach a ceasefire deal that would free Israelis held hostage by Hamas in exchange for many Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
On Friday, a senior Hamas official blamed Israel for failing to build on momentum created when the Islamist faction dropped a key demand from a U.S. cease-fire offer drawn up a week ago to pave the way for a deal.
“Israel has not taken a clear position on the Hamas proposal. After discussions with mediators in Doha, Qatar, Israel told them that the delegation would return to consult with the Israeli government,” the official, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters.
“There is an attempt to delay and waste time,” he added.
There was no immediate comment from Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he remained committed to the Gaza cease-fire framework being negotiated and accused the Palestinian group of making demands that contradicted that framework. Netanyahu did not say what those demands were.
Two Egyptian sources said on Thursday that the talks had made progress but that security arrangements and ceasefire guarantees were still being worked out.
Source: CNN Brasil
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