Israeli planes and tanks struck heavily in north and south Gaza, destroying clusters of homes, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s confidant was in Washington, expected to discuss a possible ceasefire.

Ismail, a resident of the Sheikh Radwan suburb of Gaza City, told Reuters that freshly displaced families were setting up tents in the road, after fleeing from areas north and east of the city and finding no other ground available.

“We don’t sleep because of the sounds of explosions from tanks and planes. The occupation is destroying homes east of Gaza, in Jabalia and other places around us,” he said via a text message, asking that his surname be withheld for his security.

Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu, is in Washington this week to meet with officials at the White House, Trump’s spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing on Monday.

Read the full Reuters story here.

Palestinian children check the rubble of a residential house in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on July 1, 2025, following overnight Israeli strikes. — AFP
Palestinian children check the rubble of a residential house in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on July 1, 2025, following overnight Israeli strikes. — AFP

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