Over 50 killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza as ceasefire talks set to resume

AP , Friday 3 Jan 2025

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 50 people across Gaza, including in a tent camp repeatedly bombed despite being designated a safe zone, as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas were set to resume.

Gaza
Relatives mourn over the bodies of victims of overnight Israeli army strikes at multiple locations in central Gaza Strip, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. AP

 

Staff at the Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital said 30 people, including 10 women and 7 children, were killed in strikes that hit various places in Central Gaza, including Nuseirat, Zawaida, Maghazi and Deir al Balah. Dozens of people were also killed across the enclave the previous day, bringing the total of people killed in the past 24 hours to 56.

Strikes Thursday hit Gaza security officers and an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone. Among those killed early Friday was Omar al-Derawi, a freelance journalist. Associated Press reporters saw friends and colleagues mourning over his body at the hospital, with a press vest laid on top of his shroud.

On Friday, Israel issued a new expulsion order for people to leave an area of central Gaza immediately, saying it was planning attacks in response to alleged launches from there toward Israel. Israel has also targeted areas without prior warning during its ongoing war on Gaza and has often used the alleged presence of Hamas as a justification to target hospitals, schools, and civilian infrastructure.

As the attacks were underway, efforts at ceasefire negotiations were expected to resume Friday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had authorized a delegation from the Mossad intelligence agency, the Shin Bet internal security agency and the military to continue negotiations in Qatar. The delegation is leaving for Qatar on Friday.

The ceasefire talks mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have repeatedly stalled during 15 months of war, which have seen Israeli forces kill over 45,500 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory's Health Ministry.

Israel's relentless bombardment has also caused widespread destruction in the Palestinian territory and displaced around 90 percent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, many of them multiple times.

 

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