Palestinians wait for their food rations outside a distribution center in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, May 15, 2025. (Credit: Bashar Taleb/AFP)
Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed more than 250 people since Thursday morning, local health authorities said Friday, marking one of the deadliest phases of bombardment since a truce collapsed in March. A new ground offensive is expected soon.
The air and artillery strikes targeted the northern part of the crowded enclave, where dozens of civilians, including women and children, were killed overnight, Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Khalil al-Deqran said.
Israel has intensified its bombardment and deployed armor along the border despite growing international pressure to resume cease-fire talks and end its blockade of Gaza, where an international hunger monitor has warned of looming famine.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday expressed support for aid to Palestinians, acknowledging that people in Gaza are starving and saying he expected “a lot of good things” in the next month.
Asked if he supported Israeli plans to expand the war, Trump told reporters, “I think a lot of good things are going to happen over the next month, and we’re going to see. We have to help out the Palestinians. You know, a lot of people are starving in Gaza, so we have to look at both sides.”
On May 5, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was planning an expanded and intensive offensive against Hamas. His security cabinet approved plans that could involve seizing the entire Gaza Strip and controlling aid delivery.
An Israeli defense official said the operation would not start before Trump’s visit to the Middle East concludes, expected Friday.
Israel's war has devastated Gaza, forcing nearly all residents from their homes and killing more than 53,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities. Aid groups say Israel’s blockade has caused a humanitarian crisis.
Heavy strikes on Friday hit the northern town of Beit Lahiya and the Jabalia refugee camp, where Palestinian emergency services said many bodies remained buried under rubble.
Israel’s military said its air force struck more than 150 targets across Gaza, including anti-tank missile posts, terrorist cells, military structures and operational centers.
In Jabalia camp, men sifted through rubble after the night’s strikes, pulling out sheets of metal as children climbed over debris. About 10 bodies wrapped in white sheets lay on the ground before being taken to a hospital. Women sat nearby, some weeping, one lifting a sheet to see the face of a loved one.
Ismail, a Gaza City resident who gave only his first name, described a night of horror. “The nonstop explosions from airstrikes and tank shelling reminded us of the war’s early days. The ground kept shaking beneath our feet,” he told Reuters via chat app.
“We thought Trump came to save us, but it seems Netanyahu doesn’t care, and neither does Trump,” he added.
Israel faces growing international isolation over its Gaza campaign, with even the United States expressing concern over the scale of destruction and the humanitarian crisis caused by the blockade.
On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was “troubled” by the situation in Gaza.
Netanyahu has sent a team to Doha for cease-fire talks with Qatari mediators but has ruled out concessions, reiterating Israel’s commitment to defeating Hamas.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, representing families of 58 hostages still held in Gaza, warned that Israel risks missing a “historic opportunity” to bring them home as Trump’s visit ends.
“We are in dramatic hours that will determine the future of our loved ones, Israeli society, and the Middle East,” the group said in a statement.