DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza (AP) — An Israeli airstrike killed at least 18 people, all from the same family, hours after mediators expressed optimism that a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas following a 10-month war would be reached.
In a joint statement, mediators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar said that after two days of talks, a proposal had been put forward to bridge the differences between Israel and Hamas and that they hoped to finalize the details of its implementation next week in Cairo.
The mediation efforts are aimed not only at securing the release of dozens of Israeli hostages and halting the fighting that has devastated Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 40,000 and there are fears of a possible polio outbreak.
They are also seeking to ease regional tensions that threaten to erupt into a wider war amid fears that Iran and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah could attack Israel in response to the killing of senior insurgents.
Yesterday’s attack in Gaza hit a house and an adjacent warehouse serving as shelter for displaced people at the entrance to the city of Zawaida, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where the victims were taken.
An AP reporter at the center counted the bodies upon arrival.
Among the dead was a wholesaler identified as Sami Jawad al-Ejlah, who was coordinating with the Israeli army to bring meat and fish into Gaza.
The attack also killed his two wives, 11 of his children — ranging in age from 2 to 22 — the children’s grandmother and three other relatives, according to a list distributed by the hospital.
“He was a peaceful man,” said Abu Ahmed, a neighbor who suffered minor injuries.
At the time of the attack, there were more than 40 civilians sheltering in the house and warehouse, he added.
The Israeli military said it had struck “terrorist infrastructure” in central Gaza, from where rockets had been launched at Israel in recent weeks.
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2024-08-31 09:39:08
