Amid Trump's Gulf visit, intense Israeli bombardment of Gaza kills 80 Palestinians

Israeli military strikes killed at least 80 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, local health authorities said, in an intensification of the bombardment as U.S. President Donald Trump visits the Middle East.

Medics said most of the dead, including women and children, were killed in a barrage of Israeli airstrikes on houses in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza.

Later on Wednesday, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders to people in several districts in Gaza City, forcing thousands of Palestinians to leave their shelters.

The areas threatened by the evacuation warnings included several schools and the largest Shifa Hospital, according to a map published by the Israeli army.

Witnesses and medics said shortly after the evacuation orders, Israeli planes carried out several airstrikes within Gaza City.

Israel's military had no immediate comment. It said it was trying to verify the reports.

There was no confirmation by the Israeli military or Hamas. On Wednesday, witnesses and medics said an Israeli airstrike hit a bulldozer that approached the area of the strike at the European Hospital, wounding several people.

Late on Tuesday, Islamic Jihad, a militant group allied with Hamas, fired rockets from Gaza towards Israel in retaliation for the airstrikes on the European Hospital. Shortly before Israel hit back again, its military issued evacuation orders to residents in the area of Jabalia and nearby Beit Lahiya.

Palestinians hope Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will provide pressure for a reduction of violence. Hamas on Monday released Edan Alexander, the last known living American hostage it had been holding.

Trump said in Riyadh on Tuesday that more hostages would follow Alexander and that the people of Gaza deserved a better future. He is not visiting Israel during his Middle East trip.

Ceasefire efforts have faltered. Hamas talked to the United States and Egyptian and Qatari mediators to arrange Alexander's release, and Israel has sent a team to Doha to begin a new round of talks.

On Tuesday, Trump's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Adam Boehler met families of hostages in Tel Aviv and said they saw a better chance of an agreement for the hostages' release following the deal over Alexander.

Hamas said on Wednesday the continued attacks indicated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to "escalate the aggression and massacres against civilians to undermine those (ceasefire) efforts."

The U.S. has presented a plan to reopen humanitarian aid deliveries in Gaza using private contractors. Israel, which imposed a total blockade of supplies going into Gaza from March 2, has endorsed the plan, but the United Nations and international aid agencies have said they won't cooperate with the plan as it "weaponizes" aid.

(With input from Reuters)