Israeli army resumes attacks on Gaza hours after hostage released

GAZA CITY, Palestine/ISTANBUL

The Israeli military resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip late Monday, killing a Palestinian woman and critically injuring a child following a temporary lull so Hamas could release Israeli American soldier Edan Alexander.

The shelling targeted the Al-Daraj neighborhood, said an Anadolu reporter, citing medical sources.

A shell struck near Al-Ramlah School, which shelters displaced families in the same neighborhood.

In a separate attack within Al-Daraj, several Palestinians were injured after Israeli artillery struck an apartment in a residential building, according to medical sources.

Israeli forces continued shelling multiple areas in the eastern and northern parts of Gaza City. The bombardment later extended to the eastern outskirts of Khan Younis in the south and the northern parts of Rafah governorate.

The escalation followed the Israeli army's confirmation that it had received Alexander, a dual Israeli US citizen, from the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza.

Later, the army said that Alexander, accompanied by members of his family, “is currently making his way on an Israeli Air Force helicopter to a hospital, where he will be reunited with other members of his family and will receive medical treatment.”

Earlier Monday, Israel’s Channel 14 cited a senior Israeli military official who said the military would resume its genocide on Gaza immediately after Alexander entered Israeli territory.

“The moment Edan is on Israeli soil, we will resume attacks and continue the operational plan unless the political leadership decides otherwise,” said the official.

Alexander was released following negotiations led by US President Donald Trump’s administration with the Palestinian group Hamas through mediators excluding Israel.

Hamas confirmed that it “released the soldier with US citizenship, Edan Alexander, following contacts with Washington as part of ceasefire efforts in Gaza.”

The release stemmed from talks between Hamas and the US facilitated by Egypt and Qatar without Israeli participation.

Israel estimates that 58 Israeli captives remain in Gaza, including 21 who are still alive.

Meanwhile, more than 9,900 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons, where they face torture, starvation and medical neglect—conditions that have led to multiple deaths, according to reports by Palestinian and Israeli media and human rights organizations.

Nearly 52,900 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.