Dozens of people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza over the past day, including 10 when warplanes bombed a residential building in Gaza City, amid reports of ceasefire talks -fire moving closer to an agreement.
Tuesday’s attack in Gaza City hit the Tabatibi family’s house in the Daraj neighborhood. Footage showed fires burning following the attack as rescuers searched for survivors amid the rubble.
Local media reported that the family had fled the house in the eastern part of Gaza City.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said the house was targeted without any prior warning.
“Civil Defense agents confirmed that the vast majority of bodies had been torn to pieces,” Abou Azzoum said.
Further north, in the town of Beit Lahiya, besieged by Israel since early October, at least 15 people were killed by an airstrike that hit a house, doctors said.
“We have just received confirmed reports that 15 Palestinians were killed in Beit Lahiya where they were sheltering in a house,” Tel Aviv Tribune’s Hind Khoudary said from Deir el-Balah, adding that others were trapped under the rubble.
Earlier, Tel Aviv Tribune correspondents in Gaza also reported fighting in the al-Jnaina neighborhood of Rafah as well as Israeli helicopter fire east of southern Gaza City.
In Rafah, Israeli tanks pushed toward the western area of al-Mawasi, forcing dozens of families to flee north toward Khan Younis, residents said.
Residents said the army blew up several houses in the area and burned several tents.
The Israeli army, contacted by the Reuters news agency, said it had no information regarding the advance of tanks towards al-Mawasi.
Later Tuesday, Gaza Civil Defense reported its teams were heading toward the site of an attack on Rafah beach, reporting casualties and injuries.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a ceasefire, warning of “appalling” conditions in one of the only functioning hospitals in northern Gaza.
“The conditions at the hospital are simply appalling,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, a town witnessing intense Israeli army attacks . “We call for health care to be protected and for this hell to stop!” Ceasefire!
WHO and its partners arrived there “two days ago, amid hostilities and explosions near the hospital during the mission,” Tedros added in a message on X, after efforts to deliver the necessary supplies have been repeatedly obstructed by the Israeli army.
The mission arrived at the hospital on November 30 after weeks of failed attempts, but days later was forced to flee due to attacks and hostilities around the facility.
Hussam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said Israeli snipers attacked the hospital’s intensive care unit.
“This development is very serious and represents something new for us,” he said. “We cannot stay in this place that is supposed to provide intensive care services. At the same time, we cannot evacuate and move elsewhere.
He added that generators were hit again, causing a power outage. Bombs launched from quadcopters also continued to target the hospital premises.
Ceasefire talks continue
The Israeli bombardment comes as ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel appear to be making progress.
Hamas said on Tuesday that negotiations in Qatar aimed at a truce and an exchange of hostage prisoners in Gaza were “serious and positive”, a day after an Israeli delegation arrived in Doha to meet with mediators.
“Hamas affirms that in light of the serious and positive discussions taking place today in Doha under the auspices of our Qatari and Egyptian brothers, reaching a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement is possible if the occupation ceases to impose new conditions.” » the Palestinian group said in a statement.
On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said negotiators were closer to an agreement than at any time since the truce and the exchange of captives for prisoners in November 2023.
Katz said Tuesday that his country would have “security control over Gaza with complete freedom of action” after Hamas’ defeat.
In previous rounds, disagreements over new demands presented by Israel for its future military presence in Gaza have stood in the way of a deal, even after Hamas accepted a version of the proposal presented in May by US President Joe Biden.
A series of negotiations held in mid-October failed to produce an agreement.
No Comment: An oil spill devastates the Russian Black Sea coast