Israel continues bombing Gaza despite claims of scaling back operations and Trump’s call to halt strikes

Israeli forces continued intense shelling across parts of the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning, with artillery striking the centre of Khan Younis in the south, while areas north of the al-Bureij camp in central Gaza were shelled and an airstrike hit east of Gaza City.

Palestinian reports said there were injuries after Israeli aircraft struck a house in the al-Mashahira area of the al-Tuffah neighbourhood east of Gaza City. A girl was also reported shot by Israeli forces near the Hamad residential city north of Khan Younis.

Reports indicate the Israeli army continues to fire on displaced people after warning them to leave and to pursue them in their places of refuge, in addition to directly targeting humanitarian service providers in Gaza City.

That came despite U.S. President Donald Trump urging Israel to halt its military operations immediately in the Gaza Strip, after Hamas said late Friday–Saturday it agreed to release all living Israeli captives and the bodies of the dead according to the exchange formula set out in Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, and expressed readiness to enter immediate negotiations to discuss the details.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Saturday that Israel “is preparing for the immediate implementation of the first phase of Trump’s plan, for the immediate release of all abductees,” and confirmed it was continuing to work with the U.S. administration to end the war according to “Israeli principles consistent with President Trump’s vision.”

Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered his forces to prepare to carry out the first phase of the plan after a special session to assess the situation. According to Israeli reports, the political leadership instructed the military to cease occupying Gaza City and to reduce operations in the Strip to a minimum defensive level, following overnight discussions with U.S. officials to assess recent developments.