An Israeli airstrike killed at least 18 people, all from the same family, amid violence in the Gaza Strip on Saturday (August 17). The attack came days after the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip’s health ministry announced the death toll had surpassed 40,000 in the 10-month-old war, and hours after officials from the United States, Egypt and Qatar ended two days of ceasefire talks with a message of hope that a deal could be reached.
A joint statement by the mediators said a proposal had been put forward to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas and they hoped to work out the details of how to implement the possible deal next week in Cairo.
The mediation efforts are aimed not only at securing the release of dozens of Israeli hostages and halting the fighting that has devastated Gaza, where aid and health workers fear a possible polio outbreak, but also at calming regional tensions that have threatened to erupt into a wider war if Iran and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon attack Israel in retaliation for recent killings of senior militant leaders.
What happened in today’s attack?
Saturday’s latest attack in Gaza hit a house and a nearby warehouse housing displaced people at the entrance to Zawaida City, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where the victims were taken.
Among the dead was Sami Jawad al-Ejlah, a wholesaler who coordinated with the Israeli army the transport of meat and fish to Gaza. The dead also included his two wives, 11 of his children aged between 2 and 22, the children’s grandmother and three other relatives, according to a list provided by the hospital.
The Israeli military said it was verifying the report and said on Saturday that attacks on militants in central Gaza were continuing, including one who was seen firing rockets at troops.
Meanwhile, another mass evacuation has been ordered in parts of central Gaza. In a post on X, Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said that Palestinians in and around the Maghazi urban refugee camp areas should leave. He added that Israeli forces will operate in them in response to Palestinian rocket fire.
(With AP inputs)
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