By Harun Nasrullah
London, (The Muslim News): Israeli airstrikes and shelling killed 70 Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday, including women and children, across 93 separate attacks. The escalation came just after Hamas announced it was willing to release Israeli captives under a ceasefire plan proposed by President Donald Trump. Trump had praised the move as a sign Hamas was “ready for lasting peace,” yet he had also urged Israel the previous day to “stop bombing Gaza immediately.” In response to the airstrikes, Hamas stated that the high death toll disproved Israel’s assertions that it was reducing attacks on civilians.
Hamas said, “This ongoing bloody escalation exposes the lies of the claims of the war criminal Netanyahu’s government regarding reducing military operations against defenceless civilians.” It urged the international community and Arab and Islamic nations to assume their legal and humanitarian “responsibilities”. These include protecting Palestinians, providing relief, and intensifying pressure to end the two-year “war of extermination” and starvation in Gaza.
This latest surge in violence has raised international concern and calls for a more robust intervention to protect civilians. As the situation continues to deteriorate, the potential for diplomatic solutions appears increasingly tenuous.
Egypt announced on Saturday that it would host Israeli and Hamas delegations on Monday to discuss the details of a prisoner exchange. The talks form part of Trump’s plan to end the war.
The 20-point proposal, unveiled on 29 September, calls for the release of Israeli captives within 72 hours of Israel’s approval. It also includes a ceasefire and the disarmament of Hamas. Tel Aviv estimates 48 Israeli captives remain in Gaza, 20 of them alive. Israel, in turn, holds about 11,100 Palestinians, many reportedly subjected to torture, hunger, and medical neglect.
NORTHERN GAZA
In northern Gaza, medical sources told Anadolu Agency that six Palestinians were killed when Israeli warplanes struck a family home in Gaza City’s al-Tuffah neighbourhood, leaving others trapped under the rubble. In a separate attack nearby, the army killed 17 Palestinians, including seven children. One person died in a strike on a house on al-Yarmouk Street, and another was killed, while several were wounded in an airstrike on a civilian gathering near al-Sharq Laboratory in al-Labbabidi. At least 14 more Palestinians were killed in other Israeli strikes across the city, bringing the total reported deaths to 39. The situation remains dire as humanitarian organisations struggle to provide aid amidst ongoing violence. Eyewitnesses report a growing sense of despair among the residents, who are grappling with both the immediate threat of airstrikes and the long-term consequences of the conflict.
The army used remote-controlled, booby-trapped robots to demolish large areas in Sabra and Tel al-Hawa in the south and in Rimal, Nasr, and Beach Camp in the west. Witnesses said Israeli tanks slightly withdrew from al-Jalaa Street and Nasr, but low-flying drones continued to fire at any movement, keeping the areas under control.
In August, the Israeli government approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for the gradual full reoccupation of Gaza, starting with Gaza City. Three days later, the army launched a major assault, destroying homes, towers, tents sheltering displaced people, and hospitals.
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN GAZA
In central Gaza, a strike on an apartment in al-Ishrin Street within the Nuseirat refugee camp killed a young girl and injured others. Another person was reported killed elsewhere in the central governorate.
In the south, Israeli airstrikes and artillery killed eight Palestinians. A medical source at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported the arrival of 11 more bodies after the attacks in the area. Israeli artillery shelled multiple parts of the city, while armoured vehicles fired indiscriminately towards the northern and central areas. Northern Khan Younis also faced renewed shelling.
FLOTILLA DETAINEES REPORT MISTREATMENT
Adalah, the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, said activists detained after Israel attacked the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla were mistreated in custody. Its lawyers met around 80 aid mission participants during tribunal hearings on their detention.
Adalah stated that approximately 200 hearings took place late Thursday night and continued into Friday morning, without notifying its lawyers or allowing legal defenders for the detainees. By Saturday, hearings were still underway at Ktziot Prison, where hundreds of flotilla participants remain held.
According to Adalah, detainees reported several forms of mistreatment and aggression by prison guards. Some said they had not received food since their interception. Others reported that their medications were being withheld without alternatives. Many also reported having no access to clean drinking water, describing the available supply as unsafe and of poor quality.
Adalah said it had received no official notice of deportations. However, a Turkish plane left Saturday carrying 137 activists from countries including Türkiye, Italy, the US, the UK, Kuwait, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Libya, Jordan, Switzerland, Bahrain, and Malaysia.
The incident happened on Thursday when Israeli naval forces attacked and seized flotilla vessels in international waters. More than 470 activists from over 50 countries were detained. The flotilla had been trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade of the enclave.
[Photo: Palestinians wait with their empty pots to receive hot meals distributed by charity organizations in the al-Mawasi area, as people struggle with hunger due to the Israeli food blockade in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on October 5, 2025. Photojournalist: Abed Rahim Khatib/AA]
