Fighting rages across Gaza amid revival of ceasefire talks in Cairo
Israeli strikes killed 77 Palestinians in Gaza in the past 24 hours, health authorities said on Sunday, as Egypt hosted an Israeli delegation for a new round of talks in a bid to secure a truce.
Palestinian health officials and media said the strike hit several tents inside the Al Aqsa Hospital, killing four people and wounding several, including five journalists.
More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza since October 7, according to the health authorities.
The two sides have stepped up negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, on a six-week suspension of Israel’s offensive in return for the proposed release of 40 of 130 captives.
Hamas says any deal must secure an end to the fighting and withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel has ruled this out.
Hamas would not be present at the talks in Cairo, an official said on Sunday, as it waited to hear from mediators on whether a new Israeli offer was on the table.
In the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, Israeli forces continued to blockade the two main hospitals, and tanks shelled areas in the middle and eastern areas of the territory.
Palestinian health officials said an Israeli air strike killed nine people in Bani Suhaila near Khan Younis, while another air strike killed four people in Al Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip.
In Gaza City, Israeli forces continued to operate inside Al
Shifa Hospital, the territory’s biggest, the health ministry said. Residents living nearby said residential districts had been destroyed by Israeli forces near Al Shifa.
“I went out looking to buy some medicine from a pharmacy and what I saw was heart-breaking. Complete streets with buildings that used to stand there had been destroyed,” said Abu Mustafa, 49. “... This is not war, this is genocide,” he said over the phone from Gaza City.