Deadly strikes hit Gaza killing 61 Palestinians
The territory's health ministry said 12 members of the same family, whose house in Deir al-Balah was hit, were among those killed overnight
Published: 05:03 PM,Mar 17,2024 | EDITED : 09:03 PM,Mar 17,2024
Smoke rises from Gaza, amid Israel's ongoing strikes on the Palestinian enclave. — Reuters
GAZA: At least 61 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli bombardment, the health ministry in Gaza said on Sunday, as Israel was preparing to send negotiators to new truce talks in Qatar.
Israel's security cabinet and the smaller war cabinet were to meet to 'decide on the mandate of the delegation in charge of the negotiations before its departure for Doha,' the prime minister's office said.
Its statement did not specify when the delegation would leave for the latest round of talks which comes after Hamas submitted a new proposal for a pause in fighting and captives release.
More than five months of war and an Israeli siege have led to dire humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has repeatedly warned of looming famine for the coastal territory's 2.4 million people.
Shelling and clashes were reported in south Gaza's main city of Khan Yunis and elsewhere.
The territory's health ministry said 12 members of the same family, whose house in Deir al-Balah was hit, were among those killed overnight.
Most Gazans displaced by the fighting have sought refuge in Rafah on the Egyptian border, where Israel has threatened to launch a ground offensive, without giving a timeline.
The head of the UN's World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, appealed to Israel 'in the name of humanity' not to launch an assault on Rafah.
An evacuation planned by the Israeli army ahead of launching its assault was not a practical solution, Tedros argued, noting that Palestinians there do not 'have anywhere safe to move to'.
'This humanitarian catastrophe must not be allowed to worsen,' he said on social media platform X.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 31,645 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry.
Palestinian groups also seized about 250 Israeli and foreign captives in the attack. Dozens were released during a week-long truce in November, and Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza including 32 presumed dead.
But air and sea missions are no alternative to land deliveries, UN agencies say. Humanitarian groups have cited Israeli restrictions as among the obstacles they face.
The United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars in military assistance, has also grown increasingly critical of Netanyahu over his handling of the war.
Washington has said it cannot support Israel's long-threatened operation in Rafah without a 'credible, achievable, executable plan' to protect Palestinian civilians.
The crisis has only grown worse in Rafah, said medical staff at a clinic run by Palestinian volunteers that offers treatment for displaced Gazans. — AFP
Israel's security cabinet and the smaller war cabinet were to meet to 'decide on the mandate of the delegation in charge of the negotiations before its departure for Doha,' the prime minister's office said.
Its statement did not specify when the delegation would leave for the latest round of talks which comes after Hamas submitted a new proposal for a pause in fighting and captives release.
More than five months of war and an Israeli siege have led to dire humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has repeatedly warned of looming famine for the coastal territory's 2.4 million people.
Shelling and clashes were reported in south Gaza's main city of Khan Yunis and elsewhere.
The territory's health ministry said 12 members of the same family, whose house in Deir al-Balah was hit, were among those killed overnight.
Most Gazans displaced by the fighting have sought refuge in Rafah on the Egyptian border, where Israel has threatened to launch a ground offensive, without giving a timeline.
The head of the UN's World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, appealed to Israel 'in the name of humanity' not to launch an assault on Rafah.
An evacuation planned by the Israeli army ahead of launching its assault was not a practical solution, Tedros argued, noting that Palestinians there do not 'have anywhere safe to move to'.
'This humanitarian catastrophe must not be allowed to worsen,' he said on social media platform X.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 31,645 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry.
Palestinian groups also seized about 250 Israeli and foreign captives in the attack. Dozens were released during a week-long truce in November, and Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza including 32 presumed dead.
But air and sea missions are no alternative to land deliveries, UN agencies say. Humanitarian groups have cited Israeli restrictions as among the obstacles they face.
The United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars in military assistance, has also grown increasingly critical of Netanyahu over his handling of the war.
Washington has said it cannot support Israel's long-threatened operation in Rafah without a 'credible, achievable, executable plan' to protect Palestinian civilians.
The crisis has only grown worse in Rafah, said medical staff at a clinic run by Palestinian volunteers that offers treatment for displaced Gazans. — AFP