Israeli strikes kill at least 24 in Gaza as civilians ordered to leave

Latest attacks come as ceasefire talks are set to resume in Cairo next week

Palestinians search for bodies and survivors among the rubble of a building following an Israeli attack on Zawayda neighbourhood, in central Gaza Strip, on August 17, 2024. EPA

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Israel has intensified its attacks on areas of Gaza, as overnight strikes killed at least 24 people, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported on Saturday.

Israeli planes struck a house and an adjacent warehouse sheltering displaced people at the entrance of the town of Zawayda in central Gaza, killing at least 16 people and injuring scores, medical sources said.

The injured were taken to Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al Balah in central Gaza, Wafa said.

A Hamas official condemned the attack on Zawayda, saying the 16 dead are from the one family.

“This Nazi army, thirsty for killing, blood and revenge, is only good at targeting children and women, and destroying all the components of human life,” Izzat Al Rashq, a senior Hamas member, said in a statement.

Another six people, including two children, were killed in an Israeli air strike on a house west of Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday, Wafa said. Others were injured in the attack and taken to Al Awda Hospital, local sources said.

In Gaza city, rescuers recovered the bodies of two people and several others were injured after Israeli jets bombed a house in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood.

Wafa also reported that a child was injured when tents of displaced people were struck near Hamad city in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Several people were injured in the shelling of a house near the European Hospital, east of Khan Younis.

The Israeli military has ordered Palestinians in Al Moghazi in central Gaza to leave and go to the Israeli-designated “humanitarian zone”.

A military spokesman said that it will “forcefully operate” against “terror” groups in the area, after recent rocket attacks.

The Israeli army previously operated with ground forces in Al Moghazi.

On Friday, the army ordered Palestinians to leave Khan Younis, eastern Deir Al Balah and Beit Hanoun.

The Israeli army said its attack on central Gaza “eliminated several terrorists, including a terrorist who launched rockets towards troops operating in the area”.

It also said that it expanded its operations in Khan Younis and dismantled “dozens of Hamas terrorist infrastructure sites in the area”.

The conflict in Gaza began on October 7 after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and seizing about 240 hostages according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's military campaign has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israel's army claims it has killed 17,000 Hamas fighters.

The war has also displaced most of the 2.3 million people living in the enclave, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations at the World Court, which Israel denied.

Ceasefire efforts

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Israel on Saturday as part of a continued push for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.

“Secretary Blinken will underscore the critical need for all parties in the region to avoid escalation or any other actions that could undermine the ability to finalise an agreement,” the State Department said.

The visit comes amid fears Iran could, at any moment, launch a retaliatory strike against Israel after the assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.

Israel has not commented on the strike that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

On Thursday, Israel and mediators began the latest round in months of talks to end the war in Gaza, with the Palestinian militant group Hamas not directly involved but kept briefed on its progress.

The talks in Doha paused on Friday with negotiators to meet again next week seeking an agreement to end fighting between Israel and Hamas and free remaining hostages.

On Friday, the US, Qatar and Egypt said Washington had presented a new ceasefire proposal to Israel and Hamas that “bridges remaining gaps” between the two sides.

Mediators would keep working on the proposal, they said.

“The path is now set for that outcome, saving lives, bringing relief to the people of Gaza, and de-escalating regional tensions,” they said.

Mr Biden said Gaza ceasefire talks were closer than they were three days ago, but “we’re not there yet”.

“I don’t want to jinx anything, and we’re not there yet,” he said. “But we’re close.”

Hamas said on Friday that it is adhering to what was agreed in the July 2 documents.

Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas's political bureau, said the July 2 proposal was presented by the Israelis under US sponsorship and is based mainly on the speech of US President Joe Biden and the UN Security Council resolution that came after.

He also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of procrastinating on the negotiations, as the US gives Israel cover.

Mr Badran said Hamas was keen to stop the war and the deaths of Palestinians.