77 dead in strikes across Gaza as truce negotiations are resumed

Health officials in Gaza said on Sunday that 77 Palestinians have died as a result of Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours. This came as Egypt welcomed an Israeli team for fresh negotiations aimed at achieving a ceasefire with Hamas, the group that rules Gaza.

A prominent Islamic Jihad member was reportedly killed by Israeli forces during an attack on a command center located in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Hospital in downtown Gaza.

According to the military, “the terrorists and command center were struck precisely, intended to minimize harm to uninvolved civilians in the area of the hospital.” “There was no damage to the Al-Aqsa Hospital building, and its operation was unaffected.”

Islamic Jihad, a violent organization and Hamas affiliate, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Four individuals were killed and several others, including five journalists, were injured after a strike struck multiple tents inside the Al-Aqsa Hospital, according to Palestinian health authorities and Hamas media.

Since October 7, Israel’s military onslaught in Gaza has claimed the lives of almost 32,000 Palestinians, according to health officials.

According to Israeli estimates, 1,200 people were killed and 253 captives were taken prisoner by Hamas militants who crossed the border and tore through villages in southern Israel, sparking the start of the conflict.

In exchange for the planned release of 40 of the 130 hostages that Hamas terrorists are currently holding in Gaza after their assault on southern Israel on October 7, the two sides have intensified discussions, which are being mediated by Qatar and Egypt, on a six-week halt of Israel’s onslaught.

Hamas has attempted to use any agreement to push Israel to stop fighting and remove its fighters. This has been ruled out by Israel, which has said that it would ultimately pick up its attempts to destroy Hamas’s political and military apparatus.

According to an official on Sunday, Hamas will not be attending the negotiations in Cairo because it is awaiting word from the mediators over whether a fresh Israeli offer is being considered.

Israeli soldiers kept barricading the two major hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, while tanks pounded the central and eastern regions of the region.

According to Palestinian health sources, four people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip, and nine people were murdered in Bani Suhaila, close to Khan Younis.

The largest hospital in the region, Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, was still being used by Israeli soldiers, according to the health ministry. Neighbors said that Israeli soldiers had demolished residential areas close to Al Shifa.