Houses, camp in Gaza City hit by deadly Israeli airstrikes as ceasefire talks continue

US and Arab mediators are working around the clock to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, sources close to the talks said, while medics in the Gaza Strip said Israeli strikes killed 41 Palestinians on Thursday.

Mediators, during talks in Egypt and Qatar, are trying to strike a deal to end the 14-month war in the Hamas-ruled enclave that would include the release of hostages captured by Israel on October 7, 2023, along with Palestinian prisoners , held by Israel.

Intermediaries have been able to close some gaps in previous hurdles, but differences remain, the sources said.

In Gaza, medics said at least 13 Palestinians were killed overnight in separate Israeli airstrikes, including on two houses in Gaza City and a central camp.

Medics said an Israeli airstrike killed nine people near the Beach refugee camp in Gaza City, while another killed four others in a housing project near Beit Lahiya in the north.

Later on Thursday, airstrikes killed at least 15 Palestinians in two shelters housing displaced families in the eastern Tufa suburb of Gaza City, medics said, bringing the death toll to 41 on Thursday.

The Israeli army said it struck Hamas fighters operating in command-and-control complexes in areas previously used such as Al-Karama and Shaban schools in Tufa. It said Hamas used the compounds to plan and carry out attacks against its forces, but provided no evidence.

Residents of Jabalia in northern Gaza, where the Israeli army has been operating since October, said forces blew up groups of houses overnight.

“The longer these negotiations go on, the more destruction and death occurs in Gaza. Jabalia, Beit Hanun and Beit Lahiya are obliterated. Rafah too,” said Adel, a 60-year-old resident of Jabaliya who is now displaced in Gaza City.

Signs of ethnic cleansing, aid group points to Israel

A report released by Doctors Without Borders on Thursday said there were clear signs of ethnic cleansing in Israel’s offensive, as Palestinians were forcibly displaced and bombed.

“The signs of ethnic cleansing and ongoing devastation – including mass killings, severe physical and psychological harm, forced displacement and impossible living conditions for Palestinians under siege and bombardment – are undeniable,” said the humanitarian group’s head, Christopher Lockyer. in the report.

“Palestinians are being killed in their homes and in hospital beds… People cannot find even the bare necessities of food, clean water, medicine and soap amid a punitive siege and blockade,” MSF said.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the MSF report, but Israel has previously denied carrying out ethnic cleansing and said its campaign aimed to destroy Hamas and prevent it from regrouping.

Israel accuses the militant group of using civilian infrastructure and the population as human shields. Hamas denies this.

Ceasefire negotiations continue

Sources close to the mediation effort said Hamas had pushed for a one-package deal, but Israel wanted a phased one. The talks focused on the first phase of releasing hostages, dead or alive, as well as a number of Palestinians held by Israel.

On Tuesday, the parties discussed the number and categories of those to be released, but things have not yet been finalized, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.

The source said one of the issues was Israel’s request to retain the right to act against any possible military threat from Gaza and the deployment of Israeli forces during the phases of the deal.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israel would have security control over Gaza after defeating Hamas.

Israel launched its air and ground assault on Gaza after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages back in Gaza, according to Israeli figures.

Israel says about 100 hostages are still being held, but it is unclear how many are alive.

Israel’s campaign has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, displaced most of the 2.3 million population and reduced much of the coastal enclave to ruins.

on Thursday, Human Rights Watch said Israel has killed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza by denying them clean water, which it says legally amounts to acts of genocide and extermination.

Israel’s foreign ministry accused the rights group of lying, saying Israel had facilitated a continuous flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza since the start of the war despite constant attacks by Hamas.