Crime
Israeli Strikes in Gaza Kill 21, Including 6 Children | Ceasefire Talks Intensify
Israeli strikes in Gaza killed 21, including 6 children. U.S. Secretary of State Blinken visits for ceasefire talks amid escalating conflict and diplomatic efforts. Concerns of regional escalation rise.
4 min read
Originally published by nationnews.com (opens in new tab)
CAIRO/GAZA – Israeli strikes killed at least 21 people in Gaza on Sunday, including six children, Palestinian health authorities said, ahead of a visit to the region by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to try to push forward ceasefire talks.
The children and their mother were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the central town of Deir Al-Balah, health officials said. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
The Israeli military said it destroyed rocket launchers used to hit Israel from the southern city of Khan Younis, the scene of intense fighting in recent weeks, and killed 20 Palestinian fighters.
Diplomatic efforts to halt the Israel-Hamas conflict and secure a deal to return hostages held in Gaza have intensified in recent days. Talks mediated by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar are set to continue this week in Cairo, following a two-day meeting in Doha last week.
Making his 10th trip to the region since the war began, Blinken was due in Israel on Sunday, days after the United States put forward bridging proposals that the mediating countries believe would close gaps between the warring parties.
There has been increased urgency to reach a ceasefire deal amid fears of a regional escalation. Iran has threatened to retaliate against Israel after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
At Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah relatives gathered around the bodies of the mother and her six children, who were wrapped in white shrouds bearing their names. The youngest was aged 18 months, their grandfather Mohammed Khattab told Reuters at the funeral.
“What was their crime? … Did they kill a Jew? Did they shoot at the Jews? Did they launch rockets at the Jews? Did they destroy the state of Israel? What did they do? What did they do to deserve this?” said Khattab.
Israel has denied targetting civilians as it hunts down Hamas militants, accusing the group of operating from civilian facilities including schools and hospitals. Hamas denies this.
After 10 months of war, Palestinians in Gaza are living in constant desperation to find a safe place.
“We are tired of displacement. People are being pushed into narrow areas in Deir Al-Balah and Al-Mawasi, which have become pressure cookers,” Tamer Al-Burai, who lives in Deir Al-Balah with several relatives, told Reuters via a chat app. Tanks were just 1.5 km (0.9 miles) away, Burai added.
On Friday, the military ordered the evacuation of areas north of Khan Younis and east of Deir Al-Balah where hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the fighting had been sheltering in dire conditions.
