DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza (AP) — According to Palestinians health officials, 13 people were killed in three Israeli airstrikes on refugee camps in central Gaza overnight into Saturday. Cease-fire talks in Cairo seemed to be making progress.
Three children and one woman were among the dead in Nuseirat Refugee Camp and Bureij Refugee Camp. Palestinian ambulance teams transported the bodies to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital where AP journalists counted 13 corpses.
A live baby was delivered from a Palestinian woman who was killed in an airstrike in Nuseirat on Thursday evening. The woman, Ola al-Kurd, 25, along with six others, died in the blast but the baby boy was successfully delivered and is currently stable in an incubator at Al-Awda Hospital.
Ola’s cousin, Majid al-Kurd, confirmed that the baby is in good health according to doctors.
The war in Gaza began after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel, resulting in over 38,900 deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The conflict has led to a humanitarian crisis with most of the population displaced and facing hunger.
Hamas’ attack in October killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took hostages. The ongoing war has also claimed the lives of many women and children in Gaza.
In the West Bank, a 20-year-old man was shot dead by Israeli forces late Friday, further adding to the violence in the region since the Gaza war started.
International mediators are working towards a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas to halt the fighting and release hostages in Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, mentioned that a cease-fire deal release Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza is close, but noted the challenges in the final stages of negotiations.
Negotiations have faced obstacles since the last cease-fire in November, with both sides blaming each other for the failure to reach a deal.
Jeffery reported from the West Bank city of Ramallah.
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