At least 44 dead in Israeli attacks on Gaza

Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed at least 44 people, including more than a dozen women and children, local health officials said, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu headed to the United States to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss the war. Israel responded to the attack with about ten missiles launched by Hamas, which landed in the Ashkelon area and injured several people.

The Gaza Civil Defense said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 44 people on Sunday (04/06/2025) and the Israeli military reported the launching of some 10 rockets from Palestinian territory, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call for a response.

"The death toll from today's bombing is at least 44, including 21 in Khan Yunis," said civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal. Dozens were also injured in Sunday's Israeli bombing.

One of the attacks killed 11 Palestinians in the Al Tufah neighborhood of Gaza City (northern Gaza Strip), where they had gathered near a bakery to get bread. Among the dead are nine children, the Gaza Civil Defense and Palestinian media reported on their Telegram channels.

A Palestinian official said later Sunday that Israeli forces killed an American teenager in the West Bank, and the Israeli military said it killed a stone-thrower in the West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the attacks on Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a "strong response" to rocket fire from Gaza, according to his office.

"The prime minister issued instructions for a strong response and approved the continuation of intensive operations in Gaza against Hamas," the statement added. He added that Netanyahu spoke with Defense Minister Israel Katz from his plane while traveling to Washington.

The Israeli military reported that about 10 missiles were fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel in a matter of minutes on Sunday, most of which were intercepted.

In a statement, Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007, condemned the "deliberate killing of children" in the devastated Palestinian territory besieged by Israel for 18 months. Large plumes of smoke rose over the Gaza Strip, where several areas were bombed by Israeli forces, according to AFP footage.

Israel has intensified its bloody bombing and ground operations since its army resumed its offensive in the Gaza Strip on March 18, 2025, following a two-month truce and fruitless negotiations.