Israeli strikes kill five in hospital, Gaza officials say, after talks called off By Reuters

Written by Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO (Reuters) – An Israeli airstrike struck a tent inside a hospital courtyard in central Gaza, killing at least five people, bringing the Palestinian death toll to 19 on Sunday, Gaza health officials said, after another round of talks ended inconclusively.

The airstrikes hit a tent area inside the Al-Aqsa hospital complex, sparking a fire, injuring at least 18 people in addition to five deaths, medical authorities said.

Israel's military said it hit an activist “conducting terrorist activities” and a second explosion was found, indicating weapons were in the area.

Its statement added that it had attacked 50 soldiers across the region in the past 24 hours, including military prisons.

The hospital building is located in the Deir Al-Balah area, which is home to thousands of people displaced by fighting in other parts of the enclave.

Elsewhere in Deir Al-Balah, three Palestinians were killed when an Israeli missile hit a house, while eight others were killed in their house in the Jabalia camp north of Gaza City and three inside a car in separate Israeli strikes.

Reuters footage showed Palestinians trying to fight a fire that broke out in a tent with water and small fire extinguishers.

The Israeli army continued raids and bombings in the Gaza Strip after diplomatic efforts in Cairo ended on Saturday without progress, even as Israel looked to advance further in the north.

Sirens went off in the Ashdod area, further north than seen in recent weeks, and the Israeli military said five rockets were launched in southern Gaza. No injuries were reported.

Chances of success appear slim as tensions soared following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a top military commander of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

Haniyeh's death was one of a series of assassinations of senior Hamas figures as the war in Gaza approaches its 11th month.

Hamas and Iran have both accused Israel of killing Haniyeh and vowed revenge. Israel has never claimed or denied responsibility for the deaths.

Hezbollah, like Hamas, is backed by Iran and has vowed revenge after Shukr's killing.

THE TWO TREES ARE DISTANTLY SEPARATE

International pressure has mounted on Israel to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas to end the fighting and ensure the return of 115 Israeli and foreign hostages taken during the Oct. 7 in Israel which caused months of violence in Gaza.

At least 39,550 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military operation in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials.

A delegation of Israeli officials arrived in Cairo on Saturday to try to restart talks on a ceasefire in Gaza, but returned home later in the day, Egyptian airport authorities and Israeli media said.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that Hamas had to agree to the terms of the proposed draft agreement on disarmament and the release of hostages.

He said that disagreements remain because of Israel's insistence that it can return to war if necessary, that Israel continues to control the Rafah and Philadelphia crossings on the border between Egypt and Gaza, and the need for a way to check and prevent weapons and rebels. from returning to northern Gaza.

Hamas blamed Netanyahu for the lack of progress, saying he was not interested in consensus.

“Things about the agreement have gone beyond the details,” said Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri. “Netanyahu is dragging this region into an unprecedented war.”

The families of many of the hostages, as well as Hamas and other political opponents of Netanyahu, have accused him of blocking the deal for his own political purposes.

Biden used unusually aggressive language in a phone conversation Thursday night, as he pushed Netanyahu to reach an agreement, Israeli media reported.

A Palestinian official familiar with Saturday's talks said the reaction to the death threats of Hamas and Hizbollah leaders and the process of replacing Haniyeh means it is unlikely that official efforts will resume soon.