Zakaria Al-Sinwar and His Three Children Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Central Gaza

Zakaria Al-Sinwar was a history professor at the Islamic University of Gaza.

Local health authorities stated on Sunday that Israeli air raids killed at least 100 Palestinians across Gaza overnight, coinciding with a new round of indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas hosted by mediators.

The Israeli military has yet to comment on the strike, but it has intensified attacks across the Strip since Thursday, killing hundreds in preparation for a new ground invasion aimed at achieving “operational control” over parts of Gaza.

“We have at least 100 martyrs. Entire families have been wiped from the civil registry due to Israeli bombing,” said Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Khalil Al-Daqran in a phone interview with Reuters.

Since March, Israel has blocked the entry of medical supplies, food, and fuel into Gaza in an effort to pressure Hamas to release Israeli hostages. Plans under discussion include a full takeover of Gaza and control over humanitarian aid distribution.

ما تأكّد هو استشهاد الدكتور زكريا السنوار -أستاذ التاريخ الحديث والمعاصر بالجامعة الإسلاميّة وشقيق أبو إبراهيم-وثلاثة من أبنائه، أمّا خبر استشهاد القائد محمد السنوار فلم يقل به سوى العدو وقناته الناطقة بالعربيّة “العربيّة” pic.twitter.com/SAq3ztoCA4

— أحمد دومة (@ahmeddouma) May 18, 2025

Hamas maintains it will not release hostages unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire.

Mediators from Egypt and Qatar, with U.S. backing, launched a new round of indirect negotiations on Saturday. However, sources close to the talks told Reuters that no significant progress has been made.

A Palestinian official involved in the Doha-based talks said, “Hamas has always shown flexibility on the number of hostages it could release, but the problem has always been Israel’s refusal to commit to ending the war.”

According to Arabic media and the BBC, Hamas proposed releasing around half of the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a two-month ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

A Hamas official told Reuters: “Israel’s position hasn’t changed. They want their captives back with no commitment to end the war.”

One Israeli strike hit a displaced families’ camp in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing women and children, injuring dozens, and setting fire to several tents.

Hamas condemned the strike as a “new brutal crime” and held the U.S. administration responsible for the escalation.

Earlier on Sunday, three journalists and their families were killed in airstrikes: Abdul Rahman Al-Abadleh, Khaled Abu Seif, Aziz Al-Hajjar, Ahmad Al-Zaynaty, and Noor Qandil.

Medical officials reported another family in northern Gaza lost at least 20 members in a separate strike.

Gaza’s healthcare system is collapsing, with hospitals targeted multiple times and suffering from severe shortages of medicine and equipment. Hunger is spreading due to the blockade, while Israel blames Hamas for the humanitarian catastrophe.

Al-Daqran added: “Hospitals are barely able to cope with the high number of injuries—many of them children. There are numerous cases of amputations, and hospitals have been repeatedly bombed by the occupation forces.”

In a statement on Saturday, the Israeli army confirmed that intensive strikes are ongoing across Gaza as part of efforts to achieve its war objectives.

Israel claims its goal is to eliminate Hamas’ military and governing capabilities following the group’s attack on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages.

According to Gaza’s health authorities, Israel’s military campaign has now killed over 53,000 people and devastated the densely populated coastal enclave, forcing almost all residents to flee their homes.