Israeli strikes kill at least 72 people in Gaza as ceasefire prospects move closer
DEIR AL-BALAH Gaza Strip AP Israeli strikes killed at least people across Gaza overnight and into Saturday wellness workers reported as ceasefire prospects were commented to be improving after months of war Three children and their parents were killed in an Israeli strike on a tent camp in Muwasi near the southern city of Khan Younis They were struck while sleeping relatives noted What did these children do to them What is their fault stated the children s grandmother Suad Abu Teima as others knelt to kiss their bloodied faces and wept Specific placed red flowers into the body bags Also among the dead were people near the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City which was sheltering displaced people and eight more in apartments according to staff at Shifa Hospital More than bodies were taken to Nasser Hospital according to robustness agents A midday strike killed people on a street in eastern Gaza City and their bodies were taken to Al-Ahli Hospital Another strike on a gathering in eastern Gaza City killed eight including five children the hospital noted A strike on a gathering at the entrance to the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed two according to Al-Awda Hospital Hopes for a ceasefire agreement in the coming week U S President Donald Trump says there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week Taking questions from reporters on Friday he declared We re working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of An official with knowledge of the situation notified The Associated Press that Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer will 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 authorized to speak to the media Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have been on again off again since Israel broke the latest ceasefire in March continuing its military campaign in Gaza and furthering the territory s dire humanitarian emergency Specific hostages remain in Gaza fewer than half supposed to still be alive They were among hostages taken when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct sparking the war What more is left to do in Gaza that has not already been done Who else is left to eliminate Yotam Cohen brother of hostage Nimrod Cohen explained Saturday evening as weekly rallies by families and supporters resumed following Israel s ceasefire with Iran Over killed since latest ceasefire ended The war has killed over Palestinians according to the Medical Ministry which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants It says more than half of the dead were women and children It explained the dead include killed since the end of the latest ceasefire Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas accusing the militants of hiding among civilians because they operate in populated areas There is hope among families of hostages that Trump s involvement in securing the latest ceasefire between Israel and Iran might lead to more pressure for a deal in Gaza Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is riding a wave of community promotion for the Iran war and its achievements and he could feel he has more space to move toward ending the war in Gaza something his far-right governing partners oppose Hamas has repeatedly announced it is prepared to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war in Gaza Netanyahu says he will end the war only once Hamas is disarmed and exiled something the group has rejected Hundreds have been killed while seeking food Meanwhile hungry Palestinians are enduring a catastrophic situation in Gaza After blocking all food for months Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May More than Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded while seeking food since the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began distributing aid in the territory about a month ago according to Gaza s Soundness Ministry Palestinian viewers say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds on roads heading toward the sites The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots and that it was probing incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites Thousands of Palestinians walk for hours to reach the sites moving through Israeli military zones Separate efforts by the United Nations to distribute limited food have been plagued by armed gangs looting trucks and by crowds of desperate people offloading supplies from convoys Saturday s death toll included two people killed by Israeli gunfire while waiting to receive aid near the Netzarim corridor a road that separates northern and southern Gaza according to Al-Shifa and Al-Awda hospitals which each received one body There was no immediate Israeli military comment
