Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza Strip as new ceasefire talks begin By Reuters

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dawud Abu Alqas

CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) – Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip have killed at least 70 people in the past day, Palestinian doctors said on Saturday, as mediators launched a new truce to end the 15-month war.

At least 17 of the dead were killed in airstrikes on two homes in Gaza City, the first of which destroyed the home of the Al-Ghula family in the early hours, doctors and residents said.

“At 2 o’clock in the morning we were woken up by the sound of a powerful explosion,” said neighbor Ahmed Ayyan, adding that 14 or 15 people remained in the house.

“Most of them are women and children, they are all civilians, there are no rocket launchers or resisters,” Ayan told Reuters.

People searched the rubble for survivors, and medics said several children were among the dead.Several flames and trails of smoke were still rising from burning furniture in the rubble hours after the attack.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the incident.

Another strike on a house in Gaza City later on Saturday killed five people, the Palestinian Authority for Civil Emergencies said, adding that at least 10 people were trapped under the rubble.

The Israeli army said earlier that its forces this week continued their operations in the town of Beit Hanun on the northern edge of the enclave, where the army has been operating for three months, and destroyed a military compound used by Hamas.

At least six other Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes near the northern city of Jabalia and the central city of Deir al-Balah, medics said.

Palestinian health officials said the death toll rose to 70 on Saturday.

RENEWED PUBLISHER PUSH

New efforts are underway to reach a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas and return Israeli hostages before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.

Israeli mediators have been dispatched to resume talks in Doha with the help of Qatari and Egyptian mediators, and US President Joe Biden’s administration, which is helping broker the talks, urged Hamas on Friday to agree to the deal.

Hamas has said it is committed to reaching an agreement as soon as possible, but it is unclear how close the two sides are.

The militant group released a video on Saturday showing Israeli hostage Leary Albagh, who local media say is a soldier, calling on Israel to do more to free the hostages, saying their lives were at risk from the Israeli military in Gaza because of actions.

Albagh’s family said the video “tore our hearts apart”.

“This is not the daughter and sister we know. Her severe psychological distress is evident,” the family said in a statement, urging the Israeli government and world leaders not to miss the opportunity to return the remaining hostages alive.

In response to the video, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel continues to work tirelessly to bring the hostages home.

“Anyone who dares to harm our hostages will bear full responsibility for their actions,” he said.

Israel launched its assault on Gaza in response to a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, in which militants stormed Gaza’s border communities, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

Its military campaign, aimed at rooting out Hamas, has razed the enclave to the ground, driving most people from their homes and killing 45,717 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.