CAIRO: At least nine Palestinians were killed, including two local journalists, and others wounded on Saturday in an Israeli air strike on Gaza's northern Beit Lahiya town, Gaza's health ministry said, as Hamas' leaders hold Gaza ceasefire talks with mediators in Cairo. Several were critically injured as the strike hit a car, with casualties inside and outside the vehicle, health officials said.
Witnesses and journalists said the people in the car were on a mission for a charity called Al Khair Foundation in Beit Lahiya, and they were accompanied by journalists and photographers when the strike hit them. At least three local journalists were among the dead, according to Palestinian media. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
The incident underscores the fragility of the January 19 ceasefire agreement that halted large-scale fighting in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian health officials say dozens of people have been killed by Israeli fire despite the truce. Responding to some of the incidents reported by Gaza medics, the Israeli military says its forces have intervened to thwart threats by "terrorists" approaching its forces or planting bombs on the ground near where forces operate.
Since a temporary first phase of the ceasefire expired on March 2, Israel has rejected opening the second phase of talks, which would require it to negotiate over a permanent end to the war, the main demand of Palestinian group Hamas. The incident coincided with a visit by Hamas' exiled Gaza chief, Khalil Al-Hayya, to Cairo for further ceasefire talks aimed at resolving disputes with Israel that could risk a resumption of fighting in the enclave.
On Friday, Hamas said it had agreed to free an American-Israeli dual national if Israel begins the next phase of ceasefire talks towards a permanent end to the war, an offer Israel dismissed as "psychological warfare." Hamas said it had made the offer to release New Jersey native Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier in the Israeli army, after receiving a proposal from mediators for negotiations on the second phase of a ceasefire deal. Netanyhu's office called Hamas' offer to release Alexander "manipulation and psychological warfare". "While Israel has accepted the Witkoff proposal, Hamas stands by its refusal and has not budged a millimetre," his office added. It said he would convene with his cabinet to discuss the hostage situation and decide on the next steps.
The United States is proposing a "bridge" plan to extend the ceasefire in Gaza into April beyond Ramadhan and Passover and allow time to negotiate a permanent cessation of hostilities, the White House said in a statement on Friday. The proposal was presented on Wednesday by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Council official Eric Trager, according to a statement issued by their offices. "Through our Qatari and Egyptian partners, Hamas was told in no uncertain terms that this "bridge” would have to be implemented soon - and that dual US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander would have to be released immediately," it added. Israel blocked the entry of all supplies trucks into Gaza on March 2 as the standoff escalated, with Hamas calling on Egyptian and Qatari mediators to intervene.
Israel says it wants to extend the ceasefire's temporary first phase, a proposal backed by US envoy Steve Witkoff. Hamas says it will resume freeing hostages only under the second phase. The war began when Hamas carried out a cross-border raid into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and reduced much of the territory to rubble and led to accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies. — Reuters
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