CAIRO: Israeli fire killed two Palestinians in the Tuffah neighbourhood in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, and an Israeli drone wounded four others in a separate incident in Gaza City, local health authorities said. Medical workers said an Israeli drone exploded on the rooftop of a multi-floor building in Gaza City, wounding four civilians in the street nearby. There was no comment by the Israeli military on either incident.
Gaza has been reduced to rubble in the war that was triggered by an attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. The Gaza health ministry says more than 71,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by Israeli fire since then. It says that at least 480 people were killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire agreement came into effect last October.
Israel said four soldiers have been killed by in Gaza since the ceasefire began. Both sides have traded blame over the violation of the truce. Earlier this month, Washington announced that the plan had now moved into the second phase, under which Israel is expected to withdraw troops further from Gaza, and Hamas is due to yield control of the territory's administration. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met in Israel with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mainly to discuss Gaza, two people briefed on the matter said, as local authorities reported further violence in the enclave.
Meanwhile, in Khan Yunis, over a hundred people attended the funeral of a person who was killed by Israeli drone fire on Saturday, after holding special prayers in front of his white-shrouded body at the morgue in Nasser Hospital. "They are liars, there is no ceasefire," said Fares Erheimat, a relative of the dead man, during the funeral.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in Israel on Saturday to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mainly to discuss Gaza, two people briefed on the matter said, as local authorities reported further violence in the enclave. The US on Thursday announced plans for a "New Gaza" rebuilt from scratch, to include residential towers, data centres and seaside resorts. The project forms part of President Donald Trump's push to advance an October ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas that has been shaken by repeated violations.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said on Saturday that Israeli fire had killed three people, including two children, in two separate incidents in the northern Gaza Strip. A statement from the Israeli military said that its troops operating in the northern Gaza Strip identified several militants "who crossed the Yellow Line, planted an explosive device in the area, and approached the troops, posing an immediate threat to them." Under the ceasefire accord, Israeli troops were to retreat to a yellow line marked on military maps that runs nearly the full length of Gaza. A source in the Israeli military said that the military was aware of only one incident on Saturday and that those involved were not children.
A spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office confirmed that the meeting was planned but did not provide further details. Gaza has been reduced to rubble in the war that was triggered by an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Earlier this month, Washington announced that the plan had now moved into the second phase, under which Israel is expected to withdraw troops further from Gaza. — Reuters
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