Israeli forces launched heavy strikes on Gaza City on Wednesday, killing 123 people in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s health ministry, as preparations continue for a planned ground offensive to retake the city.
The death toll marks the worst single-day loss of life in a week, adding to the devastation of a nearly two-year war that has displaced and endangered over two million Palestinians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his view that Gaza’s residents should be allowed — and encouraged — to leave voluntarily, a stance backed by U.S. President Donald Trump but condemned by Arab leaders and many in the international community. Palestinians have likened the idea to a second “Nakba” — the mass displacement that occurred during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB Mourners react next to a body during the funeral of Palestinians killed in Israeli fire while seeking aid on Wednesday, according to medics, at Al-Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, August 14, 2025. REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj
Ceasefire Talks in Cairo
While fighting raged, Hamas negotiators met Egyptian officials in Cairo to discuss halting the war, delivering aid and easing civilian suffering. Egyptian sources said the talks also covered the possibility of a full ceasefire in which Hamas would surrender its weapons and cede governance.
A Hamas official told Reuters, the group was open to proposals if Israel ends its offensive and withdraws, but ruled out laying down arms beforehand.
Worsening Humanitarian Crisis
Israeli airstrikes overnight destroyed homes in the Zeitoun and Shejaia districts of Gaza City, with Al-Ahli hospital reporting 12 deaths from one strike. In southern Gaza, tanks demolished several houses in Khan Younis, while Israeli gunfire killed nine people seeking aid in central areas, according to Palestinian medics.
Mourners carry a body during the funeral of Palestinians killed in Israeli fire while seeking aid on Wednesday, according to medics, in Gaza City, August 14, 2025. REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj
The health ministry said eight more people, including three children, died from starvation or malnutrition in the past day, bringing the total to 235 deaths from hunger since the war began. Israel disputes these figures.
Despite Israeli claims of increased aid flows — nearly 320 trucks entering Gaza in the past 24 hours, plus air-dropped supplies — the United Nations says deliveries remain far below what is needed.
Post-War Governance Disputes
Arab nations and much of the international community favour transferring Gaza’s governance to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which currently administers parts of the West Bank. The PA has signalled readiness to take control, excluding Hamas and calling for an international peacekeeping force. Hamas has said it would step aside for a neutral technocratic body approved by all Palestinian factions, while Israel maintains it does not trust the PA to govern.
