GAZA, PALESTINE - MAY 17, 2025: As Israel’s genocide continues in the besieged Gaza Strip, Palestinians bid a tearful farewell to family members killed in Israeli airstrikes on the town of al-Qarara, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Funeral prayers were held in the courtyard of Nasser Hospital ahead of the burials. The new wave of attacks comes after the Israeli army announced an expanded campaign dubbed “Operation Gideon’s Chariots.” According to an army statement, Israeli forces have begun widespread strikes aimed at “liberating hostages and defeating Hamas.” Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that the operation aims to occupy the entire Gaza Strip and may last several months. It involves a mass evacuation of all civilians toward the south where the army plans to establish “secured zones.” Over the past five days, Israel has intensified its attacks in Gaza coinciding with a regional visit by US President Donald Trump. During Trump’s four-day Gulf tour, which concluded after his departure from the UAE, Israeli forces killed more than 378 Palestinians, nearly four times the number of fatalities reported in the preceding four days, according to data compiled by Anadolu from Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Israeli army has pursued a genocidal war against Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 53,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.