DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israel airstrike in Gaza killed at least 18 people, all from the same family, on Saturday, hours after mediators expressed optimism for an imminent cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas after 10 months of war.
Among those killed was Sami Jawad al-Ejlah, a wholesaler who coordinated with the Israeli military to bring meat and fish to Gaza.
The Israeli military, which rarely comments on individual strikes, said it struck “terrorist infrastructure” in central Gaza where rockets had been fired toward Israel in recent weeks.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee in a post on X said cited Palestinian rocket fire and said Palestinians in areas in and around the urban Maghazi refugee camp should leave.
Around 110 are believed to be in Gaza, though Israeli authorities believe around a third are dead.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hours after mediators expressed hope for an impending cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas after ten months of war, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed at least eighteen people, all members of the same family, on Saturday.
Following two days of discussions, the mediators—the United States, Egypt, and Qatar—released a joint statement stating that a proposal to close gaps had been made and that they planned to finalize implementation details in Cairo the following week.
The goal of the mediation attempts is to secure the release of numerous Israeli hostages and put an end to the terrible fighting that has ravaged Gaza, where over 40,000 people have died and a potential polio outbreak is being worried about. Conversations aim to defuse tensions in the region, which have the potential to escalate into a larger conflict if Iran and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon assault Israel in reprisal for the recent assassinations of militant leaders.
At the entrance to Zawaida, a house and nearby warehouse providing refuge to displaced people were struck by an airstrike on Saturday, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where victims were taken care of. There, a reporter for the Associated Press counted the dead.
A wholesaler who worked with the Israeli military to deliver fish and meat to Gaza, Sami Jawad al-Ejlah, was among those slain. A list provided by the hospital listed the deceased as well as his two wives, eleven of their children, ages two to twenty-two, the children’s grandmother, and three other family members.
A neighbor named Abu Ahmed described him as “a peaceful man.”. At the time, he said, the house and warehouse were providing shelter to over forty civilians.
The Israeli military, which seldom discusses specific strikes, claimed to have hit “terrorist infrastructure” in central Gaza, the site of recent rocket attacks on Israel. Declared that it would not stop hitting militants in the heart of Gaza.
Gaza has issued an order for another mass evacuation.
Parts of central Gaza were to be evacuated in bulk again. Palestinians living in and around the urban Maghazi refugee camp should leave, according to Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee, who cited Palestinian rocket fire in a post on X.
As heavily laden cars, bikes, and donkey carts twisted through the debris, Ahmad Omrani, one of those impacted by the order, remarked, “The suffering began from the day we left our homes.”. We experience worry and anxiety in addition to fear for the kids playing outside. You struggle to eat, sit, or sleep properly. “.
According to the UN, the Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of about 84% of Gaza’s territory, and the vast majority of its citizens have been displaced—often several times.
On October 1, militants led by Hamas broke through the border, sparking the start of the war. 7. 250 people were kidnapped and killed, the majority of them civilians, and sent to Gaza. A cease-fire in November resulted in the release of more than 100. Though about a third are thought to be dead, about 110 are thought to be in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
With no supporting documentation, Israel claims to have killed over 17,000 Hamas militants.
At least 40,074 Palestinians have died in the conflict, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not make a distinction between civilians and combatants.
Israel’s military claimed to have hit a “terrorist cell” in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Two bodies were reportedly transported to a government hospital, according to the health ministry there. The two men were identified as commanders in Hamas’ military wing.
Implementation plans and a cease-fire.
A three-phase plan, which calls for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of Hamas hostages, has been pursued by mediators for months.
The recent deaths of the top political leader of Hamas in an explosion in Tehran that was widely attributed to Israel and a senior Hezbollah commander in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut have given the effort a renewed sense of urgency.
After the war began, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged gunfire. At least ten Syrians were killed by an Israeli strike on Saturday, including a woman and her two children, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Israel claimed to have hit a Hezbollah weapons stockpile.
According to an American official who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with White House guidelines, mediators were starting to make plans for carrying out the cease-fire proposal even before it was approved. This was an apparent show of confidence.
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that the Israeli negotiating team conveyed to him their “cautious optimism for the possibility to move toward a deal.”.
A delegation from Israel was scheduled to visit Cairo on Sunday to carry on discussions, according to an official. Being under no authority to discuss the private conversations with the media, the official spoke under the condition of anonymity.
However, Hamas has expressed doubt about the likelihood of an agreement, claiming that the most recent proposal differed greatly from an earlier version they had agreed to in principle. Israel’s demands, which included a permanent military presence along the Egyptian border and a line dividing Gaza where it would search Palestinians going back to their homes for militants, have been rejected by Hamas.
A meeting between Israeli and Egyptian military officials to decide on a withdrawal plan is set for next week, according to two Egyptian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the private negotiations. Israel demonstrated flexibility in withdrawing from the border corridor.
An agreement on a cease-fire was demanded by thousands of Israelis on Saturday night. “The army is not able to fight for so many months, so we also need the cease-fire for our security,” protester Uri Aluma stated.
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