Death toll rises in Gaza, officials say, as Israel launches intense airstrikes

The death toll in the Gaza Strip rose sharply Monday, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, after Israel said it had struck hundreds of targets in the territory in one of the biggest barrages of airstrikes in recent days.

The Israeli military also said it had attacked Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, even as President Joe Biden led an international diplomatic effort to try to ensure the conflict does not ensnare other nations in the region.

In a joint statement Sunday, Biden and the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy urged Israel to protect civilians as it defended itself, and called for the release of all hostages believed to be held in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry said Monday that Israeli airstrikes had killed at least 436 people “in the past hours,” bringing the death toll to more than 5,000 since Oct. 7, when Israel began launching airstrikes in retaliation for an attack by the Hamas militant group that killed 1,400 people.

US officials said the Biden administration had advised Israel to delay a ground invasion of Gaza, a move that would allow more time for negotiations to release the more than 200 people being held hostage by Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, and for more humanitarian aid to reach the territory.

There have been glimmers of hope on both fronts — two convoys of aid entered Gaza over the weekend, and Hamas released two American hostages Friday.

On Sunday, Biden also spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. The two leaders, according to a White House statement, affirmed that “there will now be continued flow” of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Here are some other developments:

— The Israeli military said it had notified the families of 222 people who were kidnapped during Hamas’ attack and are believed to be held in Gaza, more than the 212 people it had confirmed a day earlier. The count of hostages has risen as the army has collected more information, including about the many foreign citizens who were kidnapped.

— Aid workers began distributing relief supplies in southern Gaza as a third convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid began crossing into the strip from Egypt. The United Nations said a convoy comprising 14 trucks entered Gaza on Sunday, following 20 trucks that arrived Saturday.

— It remained unclear when or if Israel will invade Gaza, but senior Israeli commanders increasingly have been making public references to preparations for a ground assault, which is crucial to its goal of eliminating Hamas — an objective the United States still supports. For days, Israel has been telling the residents of Gaza to move southward for their own safety, even as its airstrikes hit the southern part of the territory.

— On Oct. 17, The New York Times published news of an explosion at a hospital in Gaza City, leading its coverage with claims by Hamas government officials that an Israeli airstrike was the cause and that hundreds of people were dead or injured. The early versions of the coverage and its headlines did not make clear that Hamas’ claims could not immediately be verified, leaving readers with an incorrect impression about what was known and how credible the account was.