At least 60 people killed in latest Israeli strikes on Gaza
At least 60 people were killed across
Gaza
by Israeli strikes, health staff say, as Palestinians face a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ceasefire prospects inch closer.
The strikes began late on Friday and continued into Saturday morning, among others killing 12 people near the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, and eight more living in apartments, according to staff at Shifa hospital where the bodies were brought.
Six others were killed in southern Gaza when a strike hit their tent in Muwasi, according to the hospital.
The strikes come as
US
president
Donald Trump
said there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week.
READ MORE
Taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, Mr Trump said: 'We're working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of.'
An official with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press that
Israel
's minister for strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, would arrive in Washington next week for talks on a Gaza ceasefire,
Iran
and other subjects. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Talks have been on and since Israel broke the latest ceasefire in March, continuing its military campaign in Gaza and furthering the dire humanitarian crisis.
Some 50 hostages taken during the October 7th
Hamas
attacks on Israel remain in Gaza, though fewer than half of them are believed to be alive. Some 250 were hostages taken by Hamas, and about 1,200 people died in the attacks, according to Israeli tallies, sparking the
21-month-long war
.
The war has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It says more than half of the dead were women and children.
There is hope among the families of hostages that Mr Trump's involvement in securing the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza.
Palestinians carry humanitarian aid packages near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centre in Khan Younis, Gaza. Photograph: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP
Israeli prime minister
Binyamin Netanyahu
is riding a wave of public support after the recent Iran war and its achievements. He may feel he has more space to move toward ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose.
Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war in Gaza.
Mr Netanyahu says he will end the war only once Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected.
Meanwhile, hungry Palestinians are enduring a catastrophic situation in Gaza. After blocking all food for more than two months, Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May.
Palestinians have been shot and wounded while seeking food at aid sites run by the American and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Gaza health officials and witnesses.
Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds on the roads heading toward the sites. Israel's military said it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites. – AP
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