Deadly strikes hit Gaza as Israel mulls truce talks position
- Shelling and clashes have been reported in south Gaza’s main city of Khan Younis and elsewhere, with 12 members of the same family among those killed overnight
- The UN has repeatedly warned of looming famine in Gaza, as aid groups seek new routes to deliver food and relief goods
At least 61 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli bombardment, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Sunday, as Israel was preparing to send negotiators to new truce talks in Qatar.
Israel’s security cabinet and the smaller war cabinet were to meet to “decide on the mandate of the delegation in charge of the negotiations before its departure for Doha”, the prime minister’s office said.
Its statement did not specify when the delegation would leave for the latest round of talks, which comes after Hamas submitted a new proposal for a pause in fighting and hostage release.
More than five months of war and an Israeli siege have led to dire humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has repeatedly warned of looming famine for the coastal territory’s 2.4 million people.
As the flow of aid trucks into Gaza has slowed, a second ship was due to depart from Cyprus along a new maritime corridor to bring food and relief goods, Cypriot officials said.
On Saturday, the US charity World Central Kitchen said its team had finished unloading supplies from a barge towed by Spanish aid vessel Open Arms, which had pioneered the sea route.
The United Nations has reported particular difficulty in accessing north Gaza, where residents say they have resorted to eating animal fodder, and where some have stormed the few aid trucks that have made it through.
