Another wave of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip caused high fatalities on Saturday, casting a shadow over a fragile and nascent peace push by U.S. President Donald Trump. The strikes continued even after Trump publicly requested that Israel discontinue its bombing campaign, following a statement by the militant group Hamas that it was ready to discuss his proposed plan to end the two-year-old war.
Spiking Violence Amid Ceasefire Demands
At least 36 Palestinians were killed by bombardment and airstrikes over the 24 hours following President Trump’s late-Friday call for attacks to stop, local Gaza health officials reported. The deadliest single incident was in Gaza City’s Tuffah district, where an Israeli strike on a residential apartment building killed 18 residents, children among them, and wounded several others, also damaging buildings nearby.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the attack targeted a Hamas militant posing a threat to Israeli soldiers in the vicinity at the time. They went on to say civilian casualty reports were “under review.” In a second statement, the IDF said, “The IDF regrets any damage inflicted on uninvolved civilians and takes steps to reduce damage to uninvolved civilians to the extent possible.”
The Trump Plan: A Delicate Diplomatic Dance
The conflict occurred during a period of intense diplomatic activity. On Saturday, President Trump logged onto his Truth Social platform to declare that Israel had “stopped the bombing temporarily,” something that was disputed by events on the battlefield. He then issued a direct ultimatum to Hamas, urging the movement to move quickly on his 20-point peace plan “or all bets will be off.” He demanded, “I will not permit delay. Let’s get this done, FAST. Everyone will be treated fairly!”
Hamas had already raised expectations on Friday morning by releasing a statement claiming it accepted core elements of Trump’s plan, including an end to the conflict in its entirety, an Israeli withdrawal in its entirety from Gaza, and a swapping of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. But fundamental questions remain unresolved, most urgently whether Hamas is willing to disarm—a key Israeli precondition for a sustainable ceasefire.
In a significant morale boost for the chances of the proposal, Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the lesser but more hardline militant group that also kidnaps Israeli hostages, publicly endorsed Hamas’s strategy. The coordinated campaign is regarded as being crucial for any agreement that involves the freedom of all hostages.
International Mobilization and Domestic Pressures
The White House confirmed that Trump is dispatching envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Egypt to finalize the technical terms of the hostage release and discuss a broader, longer-term peace deal. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry stated that it would host separate delegations from Israel and Hamas on Monday to broker the anticipated exchange.
The possible turning point was greeted by the single voice of relief from world leaders weary of a conflict that has emerged as the deadliest since the state of Israel was founded in 1948 between Israel and any other nation. There is mounting international pressure to stop the hostilities, which have unleashed a profound humanitarian crisis within Gaza and left most of its inhabitants displaced.
Back home, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing giant and conflicting pressures. His office indicated Israel was preparing for the “immediate implementation” of the first stage of hostage release, and Israeli media reported military orders to suspend offensive activity. Meanwhile, he is being tugged between a war-fatigued public and hostage families demanding a deal, on one hand, and hard-right coalition partners opposed to any easing up.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich a ceasefire interruption was a “grave mistake” that would be the most optimal action for Hamas strategy. Palestinian civilians, having witnessed many ceasefire efforts collapse, were skeptical with faint hope. “What is important is that Netanyahu does not ruin this, because now that Hamas agreed, Netanyahu will not agree, because always so,” resident Jamal Shihada said.
The Expensive Toll of War
The conflict began when the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, left, in Israeli estimates, approximately 1,200 people dead and 251 taken as hostages. Israel puts the number of still-imprisoned hostages at 48, of whom 20 are alive.
Israel’s second Gaza war has been deadly. More than 67,000 individuals have been reported killed, the majority of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials. The appeal for the violence to end was also echoed by Efrat Machikawa, whose family is among Israel’s hostage families forum, and stated, “It’s time to put an end to this cruel war and bring every last hostage back home.”
As the diplomacy heightens, the situation remains volatile, with the hopes of millions suspended on a strategy that has not yet survived the tests of a deeply entrenched conflict.
