Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says 32 people have been killed and 41 injured in the past 24 hours.
An Israeli strike on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip killed at least three people, while three others were killed after a strike on a refugee camp, according to Palestinian hospital officials.
At least 34,654 Palestinians have been killed and 77,908 injured since the start of the Israeli operation, said the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry in a statement. The ministry added that 32 people were killed and 41 injured in the last 24-hour period.
Hamas delegation in Cairo, cautious optimism
These strikes come as a Hamas delegation was due to travel to Egypt to continue talks with Israel. Egyptian and Palestinian sources expressed cautious optimism about the possible outcome of these consultations.
A Hamas spokesperson told Al Jazeera that the ceasefire talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt continued and that the planned Israeli assault on Rafah was a “key element”.
For his part, a senior Israeli official said Israel would only send a delegation to Cairo for negotiations on a truce in Gaza if there was a “positive movement” on a framework for a hostage agreement.
“What we are looking for is agreement on a framework for a possible hostage agreement“, this official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The negotiations have been hampered by the fact that Hamas has long demanded that Israel commit to ending its offensive and that Israel insists on resuming its operations to dismantle Hamas after any truce.
Netanyahu persists and signs on Rafah
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly insisted that there would be a new ground military operation in the southern Gaza town of Rafa**h even if a deal was reached. Israeli media reported on Saturday that his position remained unchanged despite the latest round of negotiations, notes the BBC.
The United States, Israel’s main diplomatic and military ally, is however reluctant to accept the idea of a new offensive which could cause numerous civilian casualties and worsen the humanitarian crisis, and insisted that a plan to protect displaced Palestinians be put in place first. An estimated 1.4 million people have sought refuge in Rafah after fleeing fighting in the northern and central Gaza Strip.
Despite these misgivings, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Netanyahu’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas reflects the position of a “vast majority of Israelis”, reports the Times of Israel.
The Times of Israel quotes Blinken as saying at an event in Arizona: “It’s a complicated government. It’s a balancing act when you have a coalition. And if you just look at the politics, It’s something he needs to take into account.”