CAIRO (AP) — At least three dozen Palestinians have been killed in multiple Israeli strikes in southern Gaza, health workers said Saturday, as officials including a Hamas delegation met in neighboring Egypt for high-level talks on a ceasefire.
Among the dead there are 11 members of the same familyincluding two children, who died when an Israeli airstrike hit their home in the town of Jan Yunis in the early hours of today Saturday, according to officials of the hospital Nasser.
This hospital received a total of 33 fatalities of three different attacks that also impacted tuk-tuks (three-wheeled vehicles used as taxis) and pedestrians in and around Khan Yunis.
🚑 Today, Palestine Red Crescent teams transported the bodies of 14 individuals from Hamad City in #KhanYunis to Nasser Medical Hospital.
📷Filmed by volunteer: Attallah Ghaith. pic.twitter.com/XVmgcu49OO— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) August 24, 2024
He Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital The city police reported that they received three more bodies after an attack that occurred early Saturday morning.
The Israeli military said it was reviewing the reports but had no immediate comment.
The deceased in three areas
Emergency crews recovered 10 corpses in a residential block west of Jan Yunis, 16 in the area of Hamad Cityalso in Khan Yunis, and others of the in Rafahfurther south.
The circumstances of their deaths were not immediately clear, but the areas have been repeatedly shelled by the Israeli military over the past week.
An Associated Press reporter at the hospital counted the bodies and recorded the funeral service held in the center’s courtyard.
Destroyed buildings in Hamad
Some residents returned to the city of Hamadstepping over rubble as they walked between destroyed apartment buildings. The entire wall of a multi-story building was gone, and its rooms framed residents rummaging through the debris.
“There is nothing, no apartments, no furniture, no houses, just destruction,” he said. Neveen Kheder.
“We are slowly dying,” he said. “You know what? If they gave us a bullet out of mercy it would be better than what we are going through.”
Hamad City, southern Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/71Ipu5wEe1
— Muhammad in Gaza🇵🇸 (@7MohammedKhaled) August 24, 2024
The Israel-Gaza war
The war of Gaza The broke out October 7, 2023when the insurgents led by Hamas They launched a surprise attack on the south of Israel in which some died 1,200 personasmostly civilians, and others 250 were taken as hostages.
About 100 were released during a temporary truce last year, but Hamas is suspected of holding about 110 captives, a third of whom are believed to have died, Israeli authorities estimate.
Israel responded with an offensive that has already claimed the lives of more than 40,000 Palestiniansaccording to the Ministry of Health of Gazawhose counting does not distinguish between civilian victims and combatants.
In a report on Saturday, the Ministry of Health indicated that hospitals in the territory received In the last 24 hours 69 dead and 212 injured.
The Israeli army reported yesterday Friday about the death of three soldiers more in combat in central Gaza.
The conflict has already caused widespread destruction and forced most of the Strip’s 2.3 million residents to flee their homes.
Dialogue for a possible truce
Experts met on Saturday to resolve technical issues and pave the way for high-level talks on Sunday on a possible ceasefire.
The American delegation, led by the CIA director, William Burnsy Brett McGurk, White House Middle East Advisorheld talks with senior Egyptian officials and later with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, according to a person familiar with the ongoing talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly.
Joint Statement from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar | The White House 🇺🇸 🇪🇬 🇶🇦 https://t.co/d735H3CqOu
— Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) August 16, 2024
Egyptian and Qatari negotiators were expected to meet with Hamas officials on Saturday evening.
Hamas, absent
Hamas will not be directly involved in Sunday’s talks but will be briefed by Egypt and Qatar, a senior Hamas official told AP. Mahmoud Merdawy.
Merdawy also said Hamas’s position had not changed since it accepted an earlier draft that included a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The Israeli delegation that arrived in the Egyptian capital on Thursday, August 22, included: David Barneahead of Israel’s foreign intelligence service, the Mossad; the head of the Israeli security service Shin Bet and the country’s top general, the mayor general Eliezer Toledo.
Talks have begun in Qatar, with CIA Director William Burns, Mossad Director David Barnea, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel in attendance, all but Hamas🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/dylbCoEsl6
— @IsraelVive (@IsraelVive1948) August 15, 2024
The United States has been promoting for some time a proposal that seeks to close the gaps between Israel and Hamas as fears grow over a wider regional war following recent targeted killings of militant group leaders Hamas y Hezbollahboth attributed to Israel.
Next general will visit three countries
He general Charles Quinton Brown Jr., chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, will visit Egypt, Jordan and Israel in the coming days to “underscore the importance of deterring further escalation of hostilities,” according to a statement.
Delighted to speak with General Joseph Aoun, the Lebanon Chief of Defense. We spoke to our enduring partnership and its vital contribution to achieving stability and security in the region during this critical time. @LebanonDefense @CENTCOM @LebEmbassyUS https://t.co/U8jXbRJnos
— General CQ Brown, Jr. (@GenCQBrownJr) August 21, 2024
Joe BidenUS president, spoke on Wednesday by telephone with the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahuto underline the urgency of reaching an agreement and discussed developments with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt yesterday Friday.
There are still sharp differences between Israel and Hamas over Israel’s insistence on maintaining forces in two strategic corridors in Gaza.
Netanyahu insists that Israel maintain control of the Philadelphia corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt and the corridor east-west of Netzarim throughout the territory to prevent smuggling and capture militiamen.
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2024-09-02 17:44:14