At least 19 people were killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes across Gaza as mediators hope to seal a cease-fire deal after months of contentious negotiations.
ADVERTISEMENTIsraeli airstrikes across Gaza killed at least 19 people overnight as the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to the region on Sunday to seal a cease-fire deal.
The latest Israeli bombardment struck a home early on Sunday in the central town of Deir al-Balah. A woman and her six children were among those killed, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Mohammed Awad Khatab, the children’s grandfather, said his daughter, a school-teacher, was with her husband and children when their house was struck.
The children ranged in age from 18 months to 15 years old, he said, adding that the father was hospitalised after the strike.
“The six children have become body parts. They were placed in a single bag,” the grandfather told reporters outside the hospital, “What did they do? Did they kill any Jews? Will this provide security to Israel?”
A further strike in the northern town of Jabaliya hit two apartments in a residential building. Two men, a woman and her daughter were killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Meanwhile a UN spokeswoman for UNRWA, the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, posted video that shows the extent of the damage caused by Israel during the 10 month long war in northern Gaza.
Another strike in central Gaza killed four people, according to the Awda Hospital and late Saturday a strike near Khan Younis killed four people from the same family, says the Nasser Hospital.
After months of contentious negotiations, mediators US, Egypt and Qatar appeared to be closing in on a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas after two days of talks in Doha.
American and Israeli officials expressed cautious optimism, but Hamas has signalled resistance to what it says are new demands by Israel.
The evolving proposal reportedly calls for a three-phase process in which Hamas would release hostages taken during its October 7 attack on Israel, which triggered the deadliest war ever fought between Israelis and Palestinians.
In exchange, Israel would withdraw its forces from Gaza and release Palestinian prisoners.
An Israeli delegation is set to travel to Cairo on Sunday for further talks and Blinken is expected to meet with Netanyahu on Monday.
Mediators hope to end a war which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, displaced the vast majority of 2.3 million Gaza residents and caused a humanitarian catastrophe.
Experts have continued to warn of famine and the outbreak of diseases like polio as the war rages and continues to devastate Palestinians.