DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — According to local health officials, Israeli strikes in Gaza overnight and into Sunday resulted in the deaths of 28 people, including young quintuplets. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to the region to finalize a cease-fire deal after months of negotiations.
The U.S., along with mediators Egypt and Qatar, are nearing a deal after two days of talks in Doha, with cautious optimism expressed by American and Israeli officials. However, Hamas has indicated resistance to what it perceives as new demands from Israel.
The proposed deal includes a three-phase process where Hamas would release all hostages abducted during its Oct. 7 attack in exchange for Israel withdrawing its forces from Gaza and releasing Palestinian prisoners.
The war has had devastating consequences, with over 40,000 Palestinians killed, the majority of the territory’s population displaced, and concerns raised about famine and disease outbreaks like polio.
Sanaa Akela, a displaced Palestinian in Deir al-Balah, described the situation as primitive, with sewage flooding some streets.
The recent Israeli bombardment resulted in the tragic deaths of a woman and her six children in Deir al-Balah. Among the children were 10-year-old quintuplets. Another strike in the northern town of Jabaliya and two strikes in central Gaza also caused casualties.
Israel maintains that it targets militants, blaming civilian deaths on Hamas for concealing fighters and weapons in residential areas.
Israel expresses cautious optimism about cease-fire talks
Mediation efforts gained urgency following the targeted killings of two top militants last month, attributed to Israel. This raised concerns of an escalation towards all-out war across the Middle East.
An American official reported that preparations for implementing the latest cease-fire proposal were underway, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office cautiously optimistic about reaching a deal.
Israel showed flexibility on retreating from the border corridor, with further talks planned in Cairo and a meeting between Egyptian and Israeli military officials to agree on a withdrawal mechanism.
Blast wounds peacekeepers in Lebanon
In Lebanon, three U.N. peacekeepers were lightly wounded in an explosion near the southern village of Yarin. Hezbollah’s attacks along the border have escalated tensions with Israel.
Gunmen in the West Bank marched in a funeral procession for two Hamas commanders killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jenin.
Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.
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