Israeli strikes kill nine people in Gaza, mediators strive for a truce deal

CAIRO/GAZA, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Israeli airstrikes killed at least nine Palestinians in two separate attacks in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, taking the weekend death toll to 97, Palestinian doctors said, as media reported The United States and Arab increased efforts to conclude a ceasefire deal.

Health officials said an Israeli airstrike killed five people in a house in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, while another airstrike killed four more in Jabalia on the northern edge of the enclave, where Israeli forces have been operate for three months.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the two incidents.

Earlier on Sunday, Gaza’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas, said Israeli strikes across the territory had killed at least 88 Palestinians and wounded more than 200 others in the past 24 hours.

In the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, relatives and neighbors rushed to the house of the Zuhd family, which was hit by an Israeli air strike late Saturday, killing seven people, medics said. The search continued on Sunday morning for four more who are believed to be trapped under the rubble.

A hand belonging to one of the dead could be seen among the ruins, with the rest of his body buried under collapsed masonry. Three men dug dirt with their bare hands to retrieve bodies and search for possible survivors.

“Three young men, the son’s wife, and three children are still here. We restored this cousin to me. Another cousin has been martyred and is now in hospital. About 11 people have been martyred here,” Ammar Zuhd, a relative, told Reuters.

The Israeli army said in a statement on Sunday that its forces attacked more than 100 targets across Gaza over the weekend, killing dozens of Hamas militants. It said it had also destroyed rocket launch sites used to launch rocket attacks on Israel in recent days.

A renewed campaign is underway to reach a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, and the return of Israeli hostages taken to Gaza, before the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, takes office on January 20.

Israeli negotiators were sent on Friday to resume talks in Doha organized by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, while US President Joe Biden’s administration, which is helping to mediate, urged Hamas to agree to a deal.

Hamas said it was committed to come to an agreement as soon as possible, but it was not clear how close the two sides were.

Israel launched its attack on Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas militants on communities in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages, according to the Israeli states.

Israel’s military operation, with the stated aim of eliminating Hamas, has leveled parts of the enclave, driving most people from their homes, and killed 45,805 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Narrated and written by Nidal al-Mughrabi. Additional reporting by Dawoud Abu Alkas in Gaza; Edited by Sharon Singleton