Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza Kill Over 30 Amid Ceasefire Talks

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes in the central Gaza Strip overnight into Tuesday resulted in the deaths of 24 people, including women and children, according to hospital records. This latest escalation in violence comes as Israel and Hamas continue to grapple with the possibility of a ceasefire.

The fatalities, which occurred in Nuseirat and Zawaida and included 10 women and four children, transpired days after Hamas indicated that ceasefire discussions aimed at ending the nine-month-long conflict were underway, even after Israel targeted the militant group’s top military commander, whose fate remains uncertain. Israel claims that another senior Hamas militant was killed in which, according to local officials, resulted in the deaths of 90 Palestinians, including children.

International mediators are actively working to facilitate a deal between Israel and Hamas that would end the devastating fighting and secure the release of approximately 120 hostages held by the militant group in Gaza.

The strikes late Monday and early Tuesday targeted four residential homes, according to emergency responders. An Associated Press journalist witnessed the bodies of the deceased, some covered in blue blankets and a floral sheet, as they were transported to Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah. Smoke plumes from Israeli airstrikes could be seen rising above the city.

The Israeli military stated that it “conducted targeted raids on terror targets” in central Gaza, without providing further details about the specific targets.

In southern Gaza, nine individuals were killed in two separate airstrikes overnight Monday, according to medical officials and Associated Press journalists.

Four people were killed in an explosion that struck a house in eastern Khan Younis, while five others were killed in an airstrike on a street in southernmost Rafah, according to ambulance workers who transported the bodies to Nasser Hospital.

An AP journalist counted the bodies at the hospital before a funeral was held at its gates.

The Israeli military reported that air force planes struck approximately 40 targets in Gaza over the past day, including observation posts, Hamas military structures and buildings rigged with explosives.

The war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, has resulted in the deaths of more than 38,600 people, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its casualty count. The war has caused a humanitarian catastrophe in the coastal Palestinian territory, displacing most of its 2.3 million population and leading to widespread hunger.

Hamas’ surprise attack claimed the lives of 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and militants took roughly 250 people hostage. Approximately 120 remain in captivity, with about a third of them believed to be deceased, according to Israeli authorities.

Violence has also escalated in the West Bank during the war. On Tuesday, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli policeman, causing minor injuries, before another officer fired upon the assailant, killing him. The assailant was identified as a 19-year-old from Gaza.