US /

Israel Couples Airstrikes With New Ground Operation

At least 103 are killed as main hospital in northern Gaza closes
Posted May 18, 2025 10:00 AM CDT
Israeli Strikes Kill 103 in Gaza, Shut Hospital
Palestinians inspect a site destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on Sunday.   (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Hospitals and medics in the Gaza Strip reported Sunday that Israeli airstrikes killed at least 103 people and forced the closure of the main northern hospital. The area hit hardest in what Israel called an "extensive" new ground operation was the southern city of Khan Younis, where Nasser Hospital reported that airstrikes killed over 48 people, including 18 children and 13 women, in houses and tents sheltering displaced residents. In northern Gaza's Jabaliya refugee camp, one strike killed nine members of a single family, the AP reports; another claimed 10 lives, including seven children, civil defense officials said.

The offensive is aimed at seizing more territory, displacing Palestinians farther south, and controlling the flow of aid. Israel said it's trying to pressure Hamas into accepting a temporary ceasefire that would secure the release of Israeli hostages but not necessarily end the conflict. Hamas insists on a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as a condition for any deal. Israel had said it would wait until the end of President Trump's visit to the region before launching its new offensive to give ceasefire efforts a chance. Trump did not visit Israel on his trip, which concluded on Friday.

The Israeli military said it intercepted a Houthi missile launched at the country early Sunday, setting off air raid sirens in multiple parts of the country. The rebels said they fired two ballistic missiles—including a hypersonic one—toward Israel's main airport near Tel Aviv, whose grounds earlier this month were struck by a Houthi missile. Israel was left out of a US deal to halt attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen in exchange for a stop to the strikes on American shipping vessels in the Red Sea. On Friday, per the AP, Israel struck Yemen for the eighth time since the war in Gaza began in response to the Houthi attacks.

(This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X