Latest Israel strikes kill dozens as U.S. urges ally to scale down

Dozens of Palestinians were killed in Gaza in air strikes by Israel, Palestinian media said, after the U.S. urged Israel to scale down its military campaign and narrowly target Hamas leaders. At least 14 people were killed in strikes that hit two houses on Old Gaza Street in Jabalia, and dozens were killed in a separate strike that hit another home in the area the official WAFA news agency said.

The Palestinian agency reported a large number of civilians were trapped under rubble. In a surprise cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, Hamas fighters attacked Israel killing 1,200 people and capturing 240 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. 

Israel's counterattack has killed 18,787, including at least 7,000 children, and another 50.897 wounded, according to Gaza health authorities, with thousands more feared buried under rubble. 

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The Israeli military said its aircraft targeted a building in Jabalia after its forces came under fire and a number of Hamas fighters were identified on the roof. It was unclear if the building was one of those that WAFA reported hit.

The military said its forces killed fighters holed up in two schools in Gaza City and raided apartments in Khan Younis stocked with weapons, and uncovered what it described as underground infrastructure used by Hamas.

Journalists could not independently verify these reports.

Missile strike on school kills journalist 

A Funeral for Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa, 45, has been held in Khan Younis. He was killed by a drone strike while reporting on the earlier bombing of a school used as a shelter for displaced people in the southern Gaza Strip, the broadcaster said. 

Abu Daqqa was unable to get to safety or medical treatment after being injured in the strike on the Farhana School in Khan Younis and died of his wounds before ambulances were allowed in the area, Al Jazeera said.

Al Jazeera also reported Israeli drones fired missiles at the school.

Palestinian health ministry officials in Gaza said Israeli forces are targeting anyone who moves in Kamal Adwan and al-Awda hospitals and that the south part of Kamal Adwan hospital has been completely destroyed. There are 12 newborn babies believed to be still in incubators inside the hospital according to the ministry.

Medical staff at al-Awda Hospital have refused Israeli orders to evacuate. Ambulances carrying the wounded out of Kamal Adwan Hospital have also been targeted. Israeli attacks targeted the al-Sahaba center, the only maternity care center operational in Gaza.

Israel kills three hostages

Meanwhile, Israel's military said it killed three hostages held by Hamas in Gaza after wrongly identifying them as a threat. The military expressed condolences to the families of the hostages killed during combat, saying there would be "full transparency" in an investigation into the incident. 

The military said it had recovered the bodies of three other hostages killed by Hamas. Israel believes around 20 of more than 130 hostages still held in the densely populated coastal strip are dead. 

Combat has intensified in the past two weeks since a week-long truce collapsed. The Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed in a statement that diplomatic efforts were ongoing to reach a new truce in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.

The United Nations issued a warning about 'domicide' in Gaza, a term referring to the destruction of homes and structures, rendering the affected area uninhabitable. The UN says this is what is happening in Gaza.

Gaza, a deadly maze for Israeli troops

Since Israel's ground campaign began in late October, about 110 Israeli soldiers have been killed as tanks and infantry thrust into the cities and refugee camps, based on official Israeli figures. About a quarter were tank crew.

That compares with 66 in the 2014 conflict, when Israel launched a more limited three-week ground incursion but the goal then was not to eliminate Hamas.

Israeli military experts, an Israeli commander and a Hamas source described how the Palestinian group has used a big weapons stockpile, its knowledge of the terrain and a vast tunnel network to turn Gaza's streets into a deadly maze.

At their disposal they have arms ranging from drones rigged with grenades to anti-tank weapons with powerful twin charges.

With intense ground fighting across the narrow Gaza Strip and aid organizations warning of a humanitarian catastrophe, the U.S. has warned that Israel risks losing international support because of "indiscriminate" air strikes killing Palestinian civilians. 

U.S. hints at disagreement with Israel

President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is visiting Israel to ask the government to scale down the broad military campaign and transition to more narrowly targeted operations against Hamas leaders, U.S. officials said. 

During Sullivan's visit, Israeli officials publicly emphasized that they would continue the war until they achieve their aim of eradicating Hamas, which may take months. Washington hinted at disagreement with Israel over how quickly to scale down the war, with Sullivan saying the timing was the subject of "intensive discussion" between the allies. 

Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said Israel was winning the war and degrading Hamas, citing a reduction in the number of rockets fired into Israel. But hours later and for the first time in weeks, there were sirens in Jerusalem and explosions overhead from at least three interceptions by Israel's Iron Dome air defenses. 

The armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for the rocket attack it called a response to "Zionist massacres against civilians."

After Sullivan left, Israel said it would open the Kerem Shalom crossing, the main road link into Gaza, for aid shipments for the first time in the war, allowing 200 trucks a day, double the capacity at Rafah. 

Aid agencies, warning of mass starvation and disease, have pleaded with Israel to speed up deliveries. 

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