Israel continues heavy strikes on Gaza despite Trump appeal

People inspect the damge following an Israeli strike that hit a tent used by displaced Palestinians inside the vicinty of the Shuhada al-Aqsa (Aqsa Martyrs) Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on October 1, 2025. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB / AFP)

• Gaza’s civil defense agency said Saturday that Israel carried out dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling
•  Israel’s military it was continuing its offensive in Gaza City and warned residents not to return

JERUSALEM: Gaza’s civil defense agency said Saturday that Israel carried out dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City despite Trump’s appeal to end bombardments after Hamas accepted a ceasefire deal.

“It was a very violent night, during which the (Israeli army) carried out dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City and other areas in the Strip, despite President Trump’s call to halt the bombing,” civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Bassal, whose agency is a rescue force which operates under Hamas authority, added that 20 homes were destroyed in the overnight bombardments.

Israel’s military said Saturday it was continuing its offensive in Gaza City and warned residents not to return to the area which it described as a "dangerous combat zone". 

“The IDF (Israeli military) troops are still operating in Gaza City, and returning to it is extremely dangerous. For your safety, avoid returning north or approaching areas of IDF troop activity anywhere — including in the southern Gaza Strip,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, said on X.