Israeli military strikes in Gaza kill at least 70 people, including local journalist and his family members
Hassan Samour, who worked for the Hamas-run Aqsa radio station, was killed along with his 11 family members on Thursday when their home was struck during Israel's second consecutive night of heavy bombing.
The death of Mr Samour came after air strikes on Tuesday at a hospital in Khan Younis that killed a well-known Palestinian journalist, Hassan Aslih.
The Hamas-run health ministry said most of the victims, including women and children, were killed in Khan Younis in southern Gaza in air strikes that hit homes and tents.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has intensified its offensive in Gaza as it tries to eradicate Hamas in retaliation for the deadly attacks the Palestinian militant group carried out on Israel in 2023.
Hamas said in a statement that Israel was making a "desperate attempt to negotiate under cover of fire" as indirect ceasefire talks take place between Israel and Hamas, involving Trump envoys and Qatar and Egyptian mediators in Doha.
Israel carried out the latest strikes on the day Palestinians commemorate the "Naqba", when hundreds of thousands of people fled or were forced to flee their hometowns and villages during the 1948 Middle East war that gave birth to the state of Israel, Reuters reported.
Ahmed Hamad, a Palestinian in Gaza City who has been displaced multiple times, told Reuters that what Gazans were experiencing was worse than the Nakba of 1948.
"The truth is, we live in a constant state of violence and displacement. Wherever we go, we face attacks.
"Death surrounds us everywhere," he said.
The latest strikes follow attacks on Gaza on Wednesday that killed at least 80 people, local health officials said.
In its latest statement, Hamas has lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to escalate the violence against Gaza.
"Netanyahu wants an endless war, he doesn't care about the fate of his prisoners, and he is the last to care about their lives and their return to their families," the Islamic militant group said.
"Netanyahu, with his mentality obsessed with killing and destruction, has proven that he is not only a danger to our people, but has become a real danger to the region and the entire world."
Hamas stated that the world "wants to see an eventual cessation of war".
On Tuesday, Hamas released and handed over American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander to Israeli forces in effort to ensure aid is allowed into Gaza and secure a ceasefire deal.
The group said the development was a result of discussions with Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye.
Reuters reported that Hamas said it was ready to free all the remaining hostages it was holding in Gaza in return for an end to the war.
However, Mr Netanyahu has vowed to keep fighting against Hamas until his country achieves its goals of destroying the militant group and freeing all hostages it holds.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, more than 52,900 people in Gaza have been killed and 119,846 injuries since the seventh of October 2023.
The UK's permanent representative to the UN, Barbara Woodward, has urged Israel to lift the blockade on aid entering Gaza.
"Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool or a military tactic," Ms Woodward said when delivering a joint statement on behalf of Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia, and the UK.
"Blocking aid as a 'pressure lever' is unacceptable.
"We have two clear messages for the Government of Israel: lift the block on aid entering Gaza now and enable the UN and all humanitarians to save lives," she said.
Ms Woodward has also criticised Israel's plans to expand its military operations in Gaza, approved by the Israeli Security Cabinet last week.
A US-backed humanitarian organisation is set to start work in Gaza by the end of May under an aid distribution plan and has also asked Israel to let the United Nations and others resume aid deliveries to Palestinians now until it is set up.
Israel's aid blockade in Gaza has entered a third month, with food kitchens forced to close and warehouses lying empty.
ABC/Reuters
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