Israeli air strikes kill at least 33 Palestinians in Gaza
The fighting came as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was preparing to fly to Washington for talks at the White House aimed at pushing forward ceasefire efforts.
US president Donald Trump has floated a plan for an initial 60-day ceasefire that would include a partial release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for an increase in humanitarian supplies allowed into Gaza. The proposed truce calls for talks on ending the conflict altogether.
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Some 20 people were killed and 25 wounded after Israeli strikes hit two houses in Gaza City, according to Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa Hospital that services the area.
In southern Gaza, 13 Palestinians were killed by strikes in Muwasi, an area on Gaza's Mediterranean where many displaced people live in tents, officials at Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis said. Five of the dead belonged to the same family, according to the hospital.
The Israeli military made no immediate comment on the individual strikes, but said it had struck 130 targets across the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours.
It said the strikes targeted Hamas command and control structures, storage facilities, weapons and launchers, and that they had killed a number of militants in northern Gaza.
More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since October 7, 2023, more than half of whom were women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
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The strikes occur as efforts to reach a ceasefire deal appeared to gain momentum. Netanyahu's office said his government would send a negotiating team to Qatar on Sunday to conduct indirect talks, adding that Hamas was seeking 'unacceptable' changes to the proposal.
The planned talks in Qatar come ahead of Netanyahu's scheduled visit to Washington on Monday to meet Trump to discuss the deal. It is unclear if an agreement will be reached ahead of the Israeli prime minister's White House meeting.
Hamas has sought guarantees that the initial truce would lead to a total end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Previous negotiations have stalled over Hamas demands of guarantees that further negotiations would lead to the war's end, while Netanyahu has insisted Israel would resume fighting to ensure the militant group's destruction.
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The Independent
31 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump and Israel's Netanyahu to meet at White House as ceasefire deal looms: Live updates
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Trump also has reignited the feud with Elon Musk, his former friend, ally and patron, over his threat to set up a third political party in the United States. In a lengthy Truth Social tirade on Sunday, Trump said Musk has gone 'off the rails' in recent weeks and become a 'trainwreck.' Israeli demonstrators demand end to the Gaza war ahead of Trump-Netanyahu dinner Israeli demonstrators demanded an end to the war in Gaza on Monday ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's dinner with President Donald Trump. Protesters stood outside the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv on Monday, calling for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel and the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza, according to the Associated Press. A banner read: 'Hostages are waiting.' Netanyahu will meet with Trump at the White House Monday evening. 7 July 2025 22:17 Where does the Israel-Hamas war stand ahead of Trump-Netanyahu dinner? President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are set to have dinner at the White House Monday evening. Israeli troops have been in Gaza since Hamas launched a deadly attack on its Middle Eastern neighbor on October 7, 2023. Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 251 more hostage in its surprise attack. More than half of the hostages have been returned, eight have been rescued and dozens have been recovered dead, the Associated Press reported. More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, the AP reported, citing Gaza's Health Ministry. Gazans are facing prolonged food shortages with nearly half a million in a 'catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death,' the World Health Organization reported in May. A temporary ceasefire deal was agreed to in January but broken nearly two months later. Trump has been trying to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire. 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Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Another cargo ship comes under attack in Red Sea
A Liberian-flagged cargo ship has come under fire in the Red Sea, with two security guards on board reportedly hurt and two others missing in an assault that followed Yemen's Houthi rebels purportedly sinking another vessel. The assault followed the Houthis saying the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas sank on Monday after being attacked with drones, missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire on Sunday, forcing its crew of 22 to abandon the vessel. The two attacks and a round of Israeli air strikes early on Monday targeting the rebels raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in US and Western forces to the area, particularly after President Donald Trump's administration targeted the rebels in a major air strike campaign. The attacks comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance, and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear programme following American airs trikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites during an Israeli war against the Islamic Republic. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also travelled to Washington to meet Mr Trump. The private security firm Ambrey reported the latest attack on Monday night in the Red Sea, offering the details on the hurt and missing security guards. It said the vessel had been heading north toward the Suez Canal when it came under fire by men in small boats and by bomb-carrying drones. The security guards on board had opened fire in response. 'The vessel's engines had reportedly been disabled and Ambrey observed that the vessel had started to drift,' the firm said. Military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the Houthis attacked the Magic Seas as the ship belonged to a company which it said continued to do port calls in Israel. Following the attack, the Israeli military said that it struck Houthi-held ports at Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant. It released footage showing an F-16 launching from Israel for the strike, which came after the Israeli military issued a warning for the area. 'These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies,' the Israeli military spokesman said. He also said the military struck the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle-carrying vessel that the Houthis seized back in November 2023 when they began their attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war. 'Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities,' the spokesman said. The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader was affiliated with an Israeli billionaire. It said that no Israelis were on board. The ship had been operated by a Japanese firm, NYK Line. The Houthis acknowledged the strikes but offered no damage assessment from the attack. Mr Saree claimed its air defence forces 'effectively confronted' the Israelis. Israel has repeatedly attacked Houthi areas in Yemen, including a naval strike in June. Both Israel and the United States have struck ports in the area in the past — including an American attack that killed 74 people in April — but Israel is now acting alone in attacking the rebels as they continue to fire missiles at Israel. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz threatened to launch further strikes. 'What's true for Iran is true for Yemen,' Mr Katz said in a statement. 'Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off. The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions.' The Houthis then responded with an apparent missile attack on Israel. The Israeli military said that it attempted to intercept the two missiles launched by the Houthis but they appeared to make impact, though no injuries have been reported. Sirens sounded in the West Bank and along the Dead Sea. The attack on the Magic Seas, a bulk carrier heading north to Egypt's Suez Canal, happened about 60 miles south west of Hodeida, which is held by the Houthis. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre first said that an armed security team on the vessel had returned fire against an initial attack of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, though the vessel later was struck by projectiles.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Trump and Netanyahu to meet at White House and discuss Gaza ceasefire
Donald Trump is set to meet Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House to discuss a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel and Hamas appear poised on the brink of agreeing a ceasefire deal that would bring about a 60-day pause to the fighting in the war-torn region. The US president has made clear he would like to see the conflict end soon, following last month's 12-day war between Israel and Iran. He is set to discuss the proposal with Mr Netanyahu behind closed doors today, in a stark departure from Mr Trump's usual Oval Office fanfare. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, denied the press had been barred from the event because of the sensitive nature of discussions. She said: 'The utmost priority for the president at this moment is to end the war in Gaza and to return all of the hostages.' The proposed ceasefire deal would allow aid to flood into Gaza in exchange for at least some of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages being freed. Before departing for the White House meeting, Mr Netanyahu said that Israel and the US were working 'to achieve the deal under discussion, on the terms we agreed to'. Mr Trump is expected to greet Mr Netanyahu on the White House lawn at 6.30pm local time (11.30pm UK).
