70 Dead in Gaza as Trump Urges Israel to Halt Strikes

Smoke rises following explosions in Gaza City after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a U.S. plan to end the war, as seen from central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025.

At least 70 Palestinians were killed in a fresh wave of Israeli airstrikes across the besieged Gaza Strip on Saturday, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed call for Israel to stop its bombardment after Hamas indicated acceptance of parts of his 20-point peace plan to end the war.

Medical sources said around 45 of the victims were killed in famine-stricken Gaza City, where Israeli forces have intensified their offensive in recent weeks, driving nearly one million residents toward the overcrowded southern areas.

In one of the deadliest attacks of the day, 18 people — including several children — were killed when an Israeli strike hit a residential home in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighbourhood. Medics said several nearby buildings were also damaged.

Gaza’s Civil Defence agency reported that seven of the victims were children aged between two months and eight years old.

Israeli forces also bombed a displacement camp in al-Mawasi, in southern Gaza, killing two children and injuring at least eight others. Al-Mawasi has been repeatedly hit in recent weeks, despite being designated by Israel as a “safe humanitarian zone” where civilians have been told to evacuate.

Additional strikes were reported in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, with witnesses describing widespread destruction.

“Hospitals are unable to treat all of these Palestinians,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary, reporting from az-Zawayda. “What is happening on the ground doesn’t show that there is any type of ceasefire.”

The attacks came just hours after Trump urged Israel to halt its bombing campaign, saying on his Truth Social platform that Israel had agreed to an “initial withdrawal line” inside Gaza, pending Hamas’ confirmation of a ceasefire arrangement.

Trump said his plan would lead to the immediate release of hostages and prisoners, followed by a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas responded positively to several aspects of the proposal but left key issues, such as disarmament, open for further negotiation.

Despite mounting international calls for restraint, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue operations until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are freed.

The death toll from Israel’s campaign, launched after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on southern Israel, has now surpassed 67,000, according to Gaza’s health authorities — most of them women and children.

Humanitarian agencies warn that the worsening crisis in Gaza, marked by food shortages, collapsed hospitals, and repeated strikes on civilian areas, is pushing the enclave closer to total collapse even as diplomatic efforts continue.