GAZA CITY — At least 41 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, health officials said, despite U.S. President Donald Trump declaring that Israel had “temporarily stopped the bombing” to allow space for his proposed peace plan, according to “Al Jazeera News”.
The discrepancy emerged just hours after Hamas formally responded to Trump’s initiative. In its reply, the group said it was prepared to hand over administration of Gaza to a council of Palestinian technocrats and release all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Hamas also expressed readiness to “immediately enter” negotiations through international mediators, but notably avoided the core issue of disarmament.
Israel has pressed its campaign in Gaza for nearly two years. Since October 2023, the offensive has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and wounded over 169,000, according to Gaza health authorities. Thousands remain missing under rubble, with entire neighborhoods flattened.
The war traces back to the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed 1,139 people and saw around 200 taken captive. While Israel insists its military operations aim to dismantle Hamas, critics say the scale of destruction has inflicted a catastrophic toll on civilians.
Trump, who met Israeli and Arab leaders in recent weeks to push his plan, has framed the pause in bombing as a window for diplomacy. Yet on the ground in Gaza, residents describe a familiar reality: fresh airstrikes, funerals, and deepening despair.
