Over 50 killed in intensified Gaza campaign Monday, Palestinians say

Hamas-run authorities in Gaza say Israeli attacks on Monday have killed at least 52 people, as the military presses a newly intensified campaign in the war-ravaged territory.

“The Israeli bombardment on Gaza has continued since midnight and throughout the early morning hours, resulting in 52 martyrs,” civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal tells AFP, adding that the bombing is ongoing in the afternoon and that Israeli forces had “expanded their ground operation.”

The Gazan health ministry says 136 bodies were brought to Gaza hospitals over the past 24 hours, along with 364 wounded.

The overall Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war is now at 53,486, says the ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The tolls cannot be verified independently.

Israel says it has killed around 20,000 Gazan fighters and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because it operates in densely populated areas.