Israeli Strikes Kill 20 Across Gaza as War Nears 21-Month Mark

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories – 5 July 2025 (BSS/AFP): Twenty people were killed across the Gaza Strip on Saturday as Israeli military operations intensified, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. The deaths come as the war, now nearing its 21st month, continues to wreak havoc across the besieged Palestinian enclave.

The Gaza Strip, home to over two million people, has been enduring a severe humanitarian crisis exacerbated by ongoing Israeli military actions. The scale of destruction and suffering has grown sharply as fighting escalates, with repeated strikes targeting civilian areas.

Due to restricted media access and the difficulty of reaching affected zones, AFP has not been able to independently verify the casualty figures or details provided by local officials.

Civilians Among the Dead

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal reported that five individuals were killed in a strike on a school in Gaza City. A separate air strike near another school, where displaced families had taken shelter, killed three more and left approximately ten others wounded, including children.

Since the conflict began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, many Palestinians have sought refuge in schools, hospitals, and other public buildings throughout the densely populated territory.

When contacted for comment, the Israeli military declined to address specific incidents without exact coordinates of the strikes.

Ceasefire Talks and Escalating Toll

The latest attacks came just hours after Hamas declared its readiness to begin negotiations “immediately” based on a US-brokered ceasefire proposal. The offer precedes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to Washington on Monday, where President Donald Trump has increased pressure for a cessation of hostilities.

The war was triggered by Hamas’s surprise offensive on 7 October 2023, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to AFP’s compilation of official Israeli figures. During that attack, 251 hostages were taken by Palestinian militants; 49 remain in Gaza, with the Israeli military confirming that at least 27 of them have died.

In response, Israel launched a relentless military campaign, which Gaza’s health ministry—administered by Hamas—claims has killed over 57,000 people, the majority of whom were civilians. The United Nations continues to consider these figures as credible.