GAZA CITY, Palestine/ ANKARA

Six Palestinians were killed and others injured Sunday in continued Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip despite Israeli claims of scaling back military operations.

Medical sources and eyewitnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli army targeted residential buildings and tents housing displaced families across various parts of the enclave, which has been facing a two-year-long campaign of extermination.

The attacks came as US President Donald Trump stated Friday that he believes Hamas is “ready for lasting peace” and called on Israel to halt the bombing of Gaza immediately to facilitate the release of Israeli prisoners.

Four Palestinians were killed while waiting for aid near the US-Israeli distribution hub in the Shakoush area northwest of Rafah.

Since May 27, Israel has conducted aid distribution through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, rejected by the UN, with Palestinians referring to the sites as “death traps.”

Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted aid recipients, leaving thousands killed or wounded.

Additional casualties were reported after Israeli drones dropped explosives on displaced persons’ tents east of Asda, north of Khan Younis.

Israeli artillery also shelled central Khan Younis, while airstrikes targeted northern parts of the city.

One Palestinian was killed, while others were wounded after Israeli strikes hit the upper floors of several residential buildings on Al-Thalathini Street in the Sabra neighborhood.

In central Gaza, one Palestinian was killed and others injured while waiting for aid near the Netzarim distribution hub.

Israeli forces also shelled Al-Azhar University in the same area. Airstrikes targeted the eastern Al-Maghazi camp, and artillery fire hit the northern Al-Bureij camp.

On Saturday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced readiness to implement the first phase of Trump’s plan, calling for the immediate release of all Israeli prisoners.

Israeli military and media reports indicated political leadership had ordered the cessation of Gaza City occupation and “reduction of military activity in the Strip to defensive operations only.”

Trump’s 20-point plan, announced on Sept. 29, includes freeing Israeli captives, halting hostilities, and disarming Hamas.

Israel believes that 48 Israeli prisoners are held in Gaza, including 20 alive, while approximately 11,100 Palestinians remain in Israeli jails, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect, with many reported dead.

The Israeli army has killed over 67,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.