Fighting continues around Gaza hospitals amid renewed ceasefire talks
CBC
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 with Gaza's Hamas rulers.
The Israeli military said it killed a senior member of Islamic Jihad — a militant group and ally of Hamas — in a strike on a command centre in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza.
"The command centre and terrorists were struck precisely, intended on minimizing harm to uninvolved civilians in the area of the hospital," the military said. "The Al-Aqsa Hospital building was not damaged and its functioning was not affected."
There was no immediate comment from Islamic Jihad.
Palestinian health officials and Hamas 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 Oct. 7, according to health officials in the territory.
The war erupted after Hamas-led militants broke through the border and rampaged through communities in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
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 hostages still held by Hamas militants in Gaza after their Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to keep up military pressure on Hamas, while showing flexibility in the talks, saying only that combination would bring about the release of the hostages still held incommunicado in Gaza.
Hamas says any deal must secure an end to the fighting and a withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel has ruled this out, saying it would eventually resume efforts to dismantle the governing and military capabilities of Hamas.
Hamas would not be present at the talks in Cairo, an official told Reuters 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 airstrike killed nine people in Bani Suhaila near Khan Younis, while another airstrike killed four people in Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military said it killed 15 gunmen in the central Gaza Strip and several in Khan Younis, including near Al-Amal Hospital.
