Israel-Hamas war: Hostage talks may resume after ‘mistake’ deaths

The latest developments from the Israel Hamas war.

‘Stop fighting and negotiate’ – families of hostages plead with Israeli government

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Families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip have urged the Israeli government to end the fighting and carry out negotiations for their release, more than two months after the start of the war with Hamas.

“We only recover dead bodies. We want you to stop the fighting and start negotiations, said Noam Perry, the daughter of an Israeli held in Gaza, who was one of a number of speakers at a gathering of hostage families in Tel Aviv.

Israel and Qatar could revive hostage release talks after captive deaths

Three Israeli hostages who were mistakenly shot by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip had been waving a white flag and were shirtless when they were killed, an Israeli military official said on Saturday.

Anger over the mistaken killings is likely to increase pressure on the Israeli government to renew Qatar-mediated negotiations with Hamas over swapping more captives for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Hamas has conditioned further releases on Israel halting its punishing air and ground campaign in Gaza, now in its 11th week.

The account of how the hostages died also raised questions about the conduct of Israeli ground troops. Palestinians on several occasions reported that Israeli soldiers opened fire as civilians tried to flee to safety.

The military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to brief reporters in line with military regulations, said it was likely that the hostages had been abandoned by their militant captors or had escaped. The soldiers’ behavior was “against our rules of engagement,” the official said, and was being investigated at the highest level.

The victims are Yotam Haïm, a 28-year-old heavy metal drummer, Samer al-Talalqa, a 25-year-old Bedouin, and Alon Lulu Shamriz, 26, the Israeli army announced, specifying that the bodies had been repatriated to Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately regretted “an unbearable tragedy” which plunges “the entire State of Israel into mourning”, while in Washington the White House spoke of a “tragic error”.

Israel and Qatar will try to revive talks over the release of the remaining hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal says David Barnea, the director of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency is to meet with Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Norway today.

Talks are set to involve discussions on how hostages could be released in return for a ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, the WSJ says.

They reported, however, that the discussions will likely face “significant” roadblocks – not least disputes over the possible terms with Hamas.

As of Saturday, more than 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza.

The nation is mourning the death of the three hostages killed “by mistake” by its own soldiers in the Gaza Strip, where the army is increasing air raids despite pressure from its American ally for more restraint.

Three Israeli hostages who were said to have been “misidentified” as a “threat” were killed by soldiers operating in Shujaiya, in the northern Gaza Strip.

Shortly after the announcement, hostage families and supporters marched with photos of captives in front of the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv to demand an immediate agreement for their release.

Hundreds of protesters marched alongside the families as they blocked main roads in the city and spilled red paint in the street – meant to symbolise the blood of hostages.

Protestors screamed “deal, now!” shouted for the release of all the hostages. The protests lasted for several hours.

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IDF to conduct four-hour ‘tactical pause’ in Rafah to allow aid in

The Israeli military – also known as the IDF – is set to conduct “tactical pauses” to allow for the replenishing of supplies in southern Gaza on Saturday.

That’s according to the Israeli office for Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).

In a post on X – formerly Twitter – COGAT said the said today’s “pause” would take place in the Tel al Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, between 10am and 2pm local time.

Previous such pauses have taken place in the Al Salam and Al Shabura neighbourhoods in Rafah on Wednesday and Thursday, according to posts on COGAT’s account on X.

Communications blackout and spiralling hunger compound misery in Gaza Strip

A prolonged communications blackout that severed telephone and internet connections compounded the misery Saturday in the besieged Gaza Strip, where a United Nations agency said hunger levels had spiralled in recent days.

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Internet and telephone lines went down on Thursday evening and were still inaccessible on Saturday morning, according to internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org.

The situation is hampering aid deliveries and rescue efforts as Israel’s war against Gaza’s ruling militant group Hamas stretches into the 11th week.

The ongoing offensive has flattened much of northern Gaza and driven 85% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes. Displaced people have squeezed into shelters mainly in the south in a spiralling humanitarian crisis.

The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has expressed unease over Israel’s failure to reduce civilian casualties and its plans for the future of Gaza, but the White House continues to offer wholehearted support with weapons shipments and diplomatic backing.

Palestinian media: ‘Dozens killed’ in Jabalia airstrikes

Palestinian media has announced that dozens of people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza.

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The WAFA news agency said on Saturday that at least 14 Palestinians died after two houses in Jabalia city – some 4km north of Gaza city – were hit.

WAFA added that dozens more had died in a separate airstrike that hit another home in the area, while adding that a number of civilians were trapped under rubble.

It has not yet been possible to independently verify the reports but the claims come following Friday’s meeting between the US and Israel, where the US put pressure on Israel to scale down its war against Hamas in the near future.

Al Jazeera condemns Israel over journalist death

Dozens of journalists have attended the funeral of a cameraman for Al Jazeera.

Samer Abudaqa was killed and another colleague injured in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip on Friday, the Qatari-based channel reported.

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“It is with heavy hearts that we share the devastating news of the loss of our dedicated Al Jazeera cameraman, Samer Abudaqa,” Mohamed Moawad, an editor at the channel, wrote.

Al Jazeera previously reported that its Gaza bureau chief, Wael Dahdouh, and Abu Daqa, were injured at a school in Khan Younes “following what is believed to be an attack by Israeli drone”.

In a statement on their website, the broadcaster wrote: “Al Jazeera Media Network condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli drone attack on a Gaza school that resulted in the killing of cameraman Samer Abudaqa.”

“The Network holds Israel accountable for systematically targeting and killing Al Jazeera journalists and their families.”

AbuDaqa’s body was carried through the crowd to Khan Younis, before being buried in a hole dug by colleagues.

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“Working in the press is dangerous,” lamented the journalist’s mother, Oum Maher Abou Daqa, accusing Israel of targeting “journalists, particularly those who work for Al Jazeera.”

Asked by the AFP, the Israeli army assured that it never “deliberately targets journalists” and takes “all possible operational measures to protect civilians and journalists”.

Nevertheless, more than 60 journalists and media workers, mostly Gazans, have died since the start of the war between Hamas and Israel on 7 October, according to the Committee for the Protection of Journalists.

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Nine Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza City ambush

Israeli troops are still locked in heavy combat with Hamas fighters in and around Gaza City, more than six weeks after invading the territory’s north.

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Palestinian militants carried out one of the deadliest single attacks on Israeli soldiers since the Gaza invasion began, killing at least nine in an urban ambush, the military said Wednesday, a sign of the stiff resistance Hamas still poses despite more than two months of devastating bombardment.

The ambush in a dense neighbourhood came after repeated recent claims by the Israeli military that it had broken Hamas’ command structure in northern Gaza, encircled remaining pockets of fighters, killed thousands of militants and detained hundreds more.

The tenacious fighting underscores how far Israel appears to be from its aim of destroying Hamas — even after the military unleashed one of the 21st century’s most destructive onslaughts. Israel’s air and ground assault has killed more than 18,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health officials. Gaza City and surrounding towns have been pounded to ruins. Nearly 1.9 million people have been driven from their homes.

The resulting humanitarian crisis has sparked international outrage. The United States has repeatedly called on Israel to take greater measures to spare civilians, even as it has blocked international calls for a ceasefire and rushed military aid to its close ally.

Clashes raged overnight and into Wednesday in multiple areas, with especially heavy fighting in Shijaiyah, a dense neighbourhood that was the scene of a major battle during the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas.

“It’s terrifying. We couldn’t sleep,” Mustafa Abu Taha, a Palestinian agricultural worker who lives in the neighbourhood, said. “The situation is getting worse, and we don’t have a safe place to go.”

The ambush took place Tuesday in Shijaiyah, where troops searching a cluster of buildings lost communication with four soldiers who had come under fire, the military said. When the other soldiers launched a rescue operation, they were ambushed with heavy gunfire and explosives.

Among the nine dead were Col. Itzhak Ben Basat, 44, the most senior officer to have been killed in the ground operation, and Lt. Col. Tomer Grinberg, a battalion commander.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a “very difficult day,” but he rejected international calls for a ceasefire.

“We are continuing until the end, there is no question. I say this even given the great pain and the international pressure. Nothing will stop us, we will continue until the end, until victory, nothing less,” he said in a talk with military commanders.

Suffering in the South

Heavy rainfall overnight swamped tent camps in Gaza’s south, where Israel has told people to seek refuge, even as that region has also come under daily bombardment.

In the central city of Deir al-Balah, the storm brought cold winds and flooded a sheltered area behind a hospital, sending torrents of water coursing between the tents. “The situation is catastrophic,” said Ibrahim Arafat, a father of 13 who fled Shijaiyah.

Because of the fighting and Israel’s blockade of Gaza, the health care system and humanitarian aid operations have collapsed in large parts of the territory, and aid workers have warned of starvation and the spread of disease among displaced people.

Israel invaded southern Gaza nearly two weeks ago, and heavy fighting has continued in its first target — the city of Khan Younis. Israeli strikes overnight hit two residential buildings in and around the city.

A strike on a home near the main highway between Khan Younis and the southern border town of Rafah killed two boys, ages 2 and 8, a woman in her 80s and a woman in her 30s, according to Mohammed al-Beiyouk, a relative of the deceased. Another strike killed a baby and his grandfather, according to hospital records at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

The military rarely comments on individual strikes. Israel says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames the high toll on Hamas because it conceals fighters, tunnels and weapons in residential areas.

Videos show Israeli soldiers acting ‘maliciously’

Several viral videos and photos of Israeli soldiers behaving in a derogatory manner in Gaza have emerged in recent days, creating a headache for the Israeli military as it faces an international outcry over its tactics and the rising civilian death toll in its punishing war against Hamas.

In response, the Israeli army has pledged to take disciplinary action in what it says are a handful of isolated cases.

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Among the scenes that have caused dismay and anger are clips of Israeli soldiers apparently rummaging through private homes in Gaza, destroying plastic figurines in a toy store, or trying to burn food and water supplies in the back of an abandoned truck. Troops have been depicted with their arms slung around each other, chanting racist slogans as they dance in a circle.

The videos seem to have been uploaded by soldiers themselves during their time in Gaza.

Such videos are not a new or unique phenomenon in Israel or around the world. Over the years, a significant number of soldiers have been caught on camera acting inappropriately or maliciously in myriad conflict zones.

Critics, though, say these new videos – which have been largely shrugged off in Israel – reflect a national mood that is highly supportive of the war in Gaza, with little empathy for the plight of Gaza’s civilians.

“The dehumanisation from the top is very much sinking down to the soldiers,” Dror Sadot, a spokeswoman for the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, which has long documented Israeli abuses against Palestinians, told the Associated Press.

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Israel has been embroiled in fierce combat in Gaza since 7th October, when Hamas militants raided southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and took about 240 hostages.

‘There are no people who are uninvolved’ – IDF

In one video of IDF forces on the ground, troops are seen riding bicycles through rubble. In another, a soldier appears to have moved Muslim prayer rugs into a bathroom, while another video shows boxes of lingerie found in a Gaza home. Yet another clip shows a soldier trying to set fire to shipments of food and water, both extremely scarce in Gaza.

In one photograph, a soldier poses next to words spray-painted in red on a pink building that read: “Instead of erasing graffiti, let’s erase Gaza.”

A video posted by conservative Israeli media personality Yinon Magal on X, formerly Twitter, shows dozens of soldiers dancing in a circle, apparently in Gaza, and singing a song that includes the words, “Gaza we have come to conquer… We know our slogan – there are no people who are uninvolved.”

The video, which Magal took from Facebook, has been viewed almost 200,000 times on his account and widely shared on other accounts.

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Magal said he did not know the soldiers involved – but the Associated Press has verified backgrounds, uniforms and language heard in the videos and found them to be consistent with independent reporting.

Magal said the video struck a chord among Israelis because of the popular tune and because Israelis need to see pictures of a strong military. It is based on the fight song of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team, whose hard-core fans have a history of racist chants against Arabs and rowdy behaviour.

“These are my fighters, they’re fighting against brutal murderers, and after what they did to us, I don’t have to defend myself to anyone,” Magal told The Associated Press.

He condemned some of the other videos that have surfaced, including the ransacking of the toy store, apparently in the northern area of Jebaliya, in which a soldier smashes toys and decapitates a plastic figurine, as destruction that is unnecessary for Israel’s security objectives.

The Israeli military’s spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, has actually condemned some of the actions seen in the recent videos.

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“In any event that does not align with IDF values, command and disciplinary steps will be taken,” he said.

The videos emerged just days after leaked photos and video of detained Palestinians in Gaza, stripped to their underwear, in some cases blindfolded and handcuffed, also drew international attention. The army says it did not release those images, but Hagari said this week that soldiers have undressed Palestinian detainees to ensure they are not wearing explosive vests.

Osama Hamdan, a top Hamas official, aired the video of the soldier in the toy shop at a news conference in Beirut. He called the footage “disgusting.”

Hamas, too, has come under heavy criticism for releasing a series of videos of Israeli hostages, clearly under duress. Hamas militants also wore bodycams during their rampage on 7th October, capturing violent images of deadly attacks on families in their homes and revellers at a dance party.

Eran Halperin, a professor with Hebrew University’s psychology department who studies communal emotional responses to conflict, said that in previous wars between Israel and Hamas, there may have been more condemnation of these types of photos and videos from within Israeli society.

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But he said the October attack, which exposed deep weaknesses and failures by the army, caused trauma and humiliation for Israelis in a way that hasn’t happened before.

“When people feel they were humiliated, hurting the source of this humiliation doesn’t feel as morally problematic,” Halperin told AP.

“When people feel like their individual and collective existence is under threat, they don’t have the mental capacity to empathise or apply the moral rulings when thinking about the enemy.”

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Israel-Hamas war: Palestinian leader Abbas decries Gaza ‘genocide’ as Israel says no cease-fire

The latest developments from the Israel-Hamas war.

Internet and telephone lines cut again in Gaza – telecoms company

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Telephone and internet lines in the Gaza Strip were cut on Sunday evening by Israel, for the third time since the start of the war on 7 October, the Palestinian operator Paltel has announced.

“We regret to announce the complete shutdown of communications and internet services in Gaza after the Israeli side disconnected the servers,” Paltel said in a statement.

Netanyahyu reiterates no cease-fire until hostage freed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Ramon Air Force base in southern Israel on Sunday and reiterated his opposition to a cease-fire in Gaza.

Addressing pilots, Netanyahu said, “There will be no cease-fire without the return of our hostages.”

“We say this to both our enemies and our friends. We will continue until we beat them,” he added.

Weapons cache found in Gaza, Israeli troops claim

The Israeli military has said that it discovered an extensive stash of weapons in a home in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip as it searched the area. It claims rifles, grenades, explosives, suicide drones and missiles in the residence were found. Officials say they brought some of the weapons back to Israel to inspect them. The military said that forces had also destroyed a nearby explosives lab.

Relatives of Scotland’s First Minister return home from Gaza

Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf says his in-laws have returned home after being allowed to leave the Gaza Strip. The parents of his wife, Nadia El-Nakla, were visiting relatives when the conflict erupted on 7 October, trapping them in Gaza.

Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla were among about 100 British nationals permitted to pass through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt on Friday. They have had to leave behind Maged El-Nakla’s mother, son and grandchildren.

“We are, of course, elated. But my father-in-law said, ‘My heart is broken in two,’” Yousaf said on X, formerly Twitter. “He then broke down telling me how hard it was saying goodbye to them.”

Yousaf has regularly shared updates on his in-laws’ plight including that they had to drink sea water. He said his brother-in-law is a doctor treating the wounded in Gaza.

The past four weeks had been “a living nightmare for our family,” Yousaf said on Friday. He said he and wife will continue to call for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict.

“Although we feel a sense of deep personal relief, we are heartbroken at the continued suffering of the people of Gaza,” the couple said in a statement on Friday.

Turkey: police disperse pro-Palestinian demonstration near  military base

Turkish police have dispersed a pro-Palestinian rally organised in front of the Incirlik military base housing American forces with tear gas.

The move came just a few hours before the planned arrival in Ankara of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The demonstration, in front of the air base, was organised by the Turkish NGO Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH). In 2010, it chartered a flotilla to try to reach Gaza under Israeli blockade, leading to an Israeli raid which left ten people dead.

There have been reports of police intervening when the crowd began moving towards the base after holding a peaceful rally in Incirlik.

Images posted on social media show several hundred people waving Palestinian flags, pursued by police who also used a water cannon.

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No injuries or arrests have been reported at this stage. American authorities made no immediate comment.

Incirlik Air Base is owned by NATO member Turkey but is used by the US Air Force – and occasionally the British Royal Air Force – providing strategic access to large areas of the Middle East.

Antony Blinken is expected in Turkey later on Sunday after visiting the West Bank and Cyprus. He is due to meet his Turkish counterpart, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in Ankara on Monday to discuss the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza.

Nearly a thousand people also gathered on Sunday in front of the American embassy in Ankara, according to reports.

Turkey has been the scene of major demonstrations in support of the Palestinians in recent weeks.

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White House: more than 300 Americans or US residents evacuated from Gaza

More than 300 Americans or American residents and members of their families have been evacuated in recent days from the Gaza Strip, the White House confirmed.

“We have successfully evacuated more than 300 Americans, legal permanent residents and their family members,” Jonathan Finer, a national security adviser, said in an interview with CBS on Sunday.

The evacuations took place “during the last few days” and were made possible by “intensive negotiations with all parties involved in this conflict,” he said.

“We believe that there are still a number of Americans inside Gaza… and we will continue to work until all Americans who want to leave can do so,” he added.

President Joe Biden announced Thursday the evacuation of 74 dual nationals holding American passports.

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Several hundred wounded, foreigners and dual nationals have been able to leave Gaza towards Egypt since 1 November via the Rafah border post.

Mahmoud Abbas denounces ‘genocide’ carried out by Israel in Gaza

The President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas has denounced the “genocide” carried out in the Gaza Strip by Israel.

Abbas was speaking during a meeting with the American Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“Once again, we meet in the harshest conditions possible, I have no words to describe the war of genocide and the destruction suffered by our Palestinian people in Gaza at the hands of the military apparatus of Israel, without any respect for the principles of international law,” Abbas said in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, where he received the American official.

The meeting comes at a time when the international community fears that the war between Israel and Hamas could extend to the West Bank and beyond.

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This is the first time that the American Secretary of State has visited the occupied West Bank since the start of the war on 7 October triggered by the bloody attack by Hamas on Israeli soil, after having made several trips to Israel and in Jordan.

Hamas Health Ministry announces death toll has risen to 9,770

The Palestinian Hamas Health Ministry has announced that at least 9,770 people, including 4,800 children, had been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war with Israel.

According to the ministry, 2,550 women are also among these deaths recorded since 7 October. 

Israeli minister suspended after saying dropping nuclear weapon on Gaza ‘an option’

An Israeli minister has been suspended from his post after suggesting that dropping a nuclear weapon on Gaza may be one of the country’s military options.

The Times of Israel reported that far-right heritage minister Amichai Eliyahu said “this is one of the possibilities” when asked during an interview with Radio Kol Berama whether an atomic bomb should be dropped on the war-torn region.

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Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition in Israel, took to X – formerly Twitter – and called the comment a “shocking and crazy statement by an irresponsible minister”, calling for his immediate firing.

Eliyahu later tried to justify the comment, saying it was simply “metaphorical”.

Israeli’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the minister’s words were “not based in reality”. 

Hamas government says at least 45 killed in Israeli bombing of refugee camp

At least forty-five people have been killed and a hundred others injured in an Israeli bombardment on Saturday evening against the Maghazi refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip.

That’s according to a new report published on Sunday by the Ministry of Health of Hamas.

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“The number of martyrs in the Maghazi massacre has risen to 45,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Ashraf Al-Qudra, initially reported “more than 30 martyrs” were transported to hospital “after the massacre committed by the occupation in the Maghazi camp.”

The majority of victims “are children and women”, the ministry added, claiminng that houses had been directly targeted.

An Israeli army spokesperson said he was checking whether Israeli forces were operating in the Maghazi camp area.

On Saturday, one of the Israeli bombings hit, according to Hamas, a UN school where displaced Palestinians were sheltering in the Jabaliya refugee camp, killing 15 people. Hamas also reported on Friday evening a strike on a school transformed into a makeshift shelter for displaced people in the north of the Gaza Strip, leaving 20 dead and dozens injured. 

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Israel continues to refuse a humanitarian pause in Gaza despite mounting international pressue

The soaring death toll in Gaza has sparked growing international anger, with tens of thousands from Washington to Berlin taking to the streets Saturday to demand an immediate cease-fire.

Israel has rejected the idea of halting its offensive, even for brief humanitarian pauses proposed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his current tour of the region. Instead, it said that the besieged enclave’s Hamas rulers were “encountering the full force” of its troops.

“Anyone in Gaza City is risking their life,” Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said.

Large columns of smoke rose as Israel’s military said it had encircled Gaza City, the initial target of its offensive against Hamas. Gaza’s Health Ministry has said more than 9,400 Palestinians have been killed in the territory in nearly a month of war, and that number is likely to rise as the assault continues.

Early Sunday, airstrikes hit the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least 33 people and wounding 42, said Ashraf al-Qidra, the spokesman for the Health Ministry.

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He said first responders, aided by residents, were still searching the rubble for dead or possible survivors.

The camp, a built-up residential area, is located in the evacuation zone where Israel’s military had urged Palestinian civilians in Gaza to seek refuge as it focused its military offensive in the northern areas.

Despite such appeals, Israel has continued its bombardment across Gaza, saying it is targeting Hamas fighters and assets everywhere. It has accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields.

Arab leaders push for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire now

Blinken met with Arab foreign ministers in Jordan on Saturday after talks in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who insisted there could be no temporary ceasefire until all hostages held by Hamas are released.

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Arab countries want an immediate cease-fire, saying “the whole region is sinking in a sea of hatred that will define generations to come.”

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Blinken, however, said “it is our view now that a ceasefire would simply leave Hamas in place, able to regroup and repeat what it did on October 7,” when the group launched a wide-ranging attack from Gaza into southern Israel, triggering the war.

He said humanitarian pauses can be critical in protecting civilians, getting aid in and getting foreign nationals out, “while still enabling Israel to achieve its objective, the defeat of Hamas.”

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told reporters in Beirut that Blinken “should stop the aggression and should not come up with ideas that cannot be implemented.” The spokesman of the Hamas military wing, who goes by Abu Obeida, said in a speech that fighters had destroyed 24 Israeli vehicles and inflicted casualties in the past two days.

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