Israeli army intensifies attacks on Gaza City

The Israeli army intensified air and ground attacks on Gaza City on Sunday, forcing more residents to flee toward central and southern areas of the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian sources.

Local sources and eyewitnesses reported a dangerous escalation in the Abu Iskandar and Jabalia areas in northern Gaza, where Israeli forces carried out air and artillery strikes targeting homes and apartments.

Some Palestinian families remain trapped in their houses due to intense shelling, a lack of transport, and the absence of safe evacuation routes. The bombardment has also disrupted basic services, including access to drinking water, the sources said.

Since Israel resumed its intensified military campaign on March 18, at least 11,328 Palestinians have been killed and 48,215 injured, bringing the overall toll in Gaza since the war began in October 2023 to 63,459 deaths and 160,256 injuries, according to health authorities in Gaza on Sunday.

Beyond Gaza

Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir vowed Sunday that Israeli forces would also target Hamas leaders based abroad, following the killing of the group's armed wing spokesperson in Gaza.

"In the Gaza Strip, yesterday we struck one of Hamas' senior leaders, Abu Obeida," Zamir said during a situational assessment meeting at the army's Northern Command in the Upper Galilee mountains near the borders with Lebanon and Syria. 

"This is not the end. Most of Hamas' leadership is abroad, and we will reach them as well," he said.

West Bank annexation

Israel, already facing mounting international criticism over the war in Gaza, has reacted angrily to pledges by France, Britain, Australia, and Canada to formally recognize a Palestinian state at a summit during the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Israeli officials said the government is weighing extending sovereignty to parts of the occupied West Bank in response to the recognition moves.

The matter was reportedly discussed at Prime Minister Netanyahu's security cabinet meeting on Sunday. It remains unclear whether such a measure would encompass all settlements, selected areas, or regions like the Jordan Valley. Any step toward annexation would likely provoke strong Palestinian resistance and draw condemnation from both regional actors and the broader international community.

A previous annexation plan by Netanyahu in 2020 was shelved in favor of normalizing ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain under the so-called Abraham Accords brokered by U.S.

(With input from Xinhua and Reuters agencies)