Monday, 25 May 2026
Israel pounds Gaza ahead of White House talks on ceasefire
CAIRO/JERUSALEM – Israeli airstrikes killed at least 58 people throughout Gaza on Monday, as residents in the territory’s north described experiencing some of the most intense shelling in recent weeks, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials were set to arrive in Washington for a renewed ceasefire effort led by the Trump administration.
A day after U.S. President Donald Trump called for an end to the 20-month conflict, a close adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to visit the White House for discussions on a potential Gaza ceasefire, Iran, and broader regional diplomatic initiatives.
Despite developments on the diplomatic front, fighting in Gaza showed no sign of abating. On Monday, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for large sections of northern Gaza, triggering yet another wave of displacement.
“Explosions never stopped—schools and houses were bombed. It felt like an earthquake,” said Salah, a 60-year-old father of five from Gaza City. “The news says a ceasefire is coming, but all we see are deaths and all we hear are explosions.”
Residents reported Israeli tanks advancing into eastern Zeitoun, a suburb of Gaza City, with shelling in several northern areas. Aircraft struck at least four schools from which hundreds of sheltering families had been ordered to flee, according to local accounts.
At least 58 people lost their lives in the airstrikes on Monday, Gaza health officials reported, including 10 in Zeitoun and at least 13 southwest of Gaza City. Medics said most of the 13 victims died from gunfire, though residents also cited an airstrike in the area.
Twenty more people—among them women, children, and a local journalist—died in an Israeli air raid on a beachfront café in Gaza City, according to medics. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate reported that over 220 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023.
The Israeli military said it targeted militant strongholds in northern Gaza, including command and control hubs, and stated it had taken precautions to minimize civilian casualties.
There was no immediate Israeli response to reports of deaths in the southwest of Gaza or at the beachfront café.