Israeli air strikes have killed more than 110 people in two days, Palestinian health authorities said yesterday.
The surge in operations and casualties comes amid a renewed push to reach a ceasefire in the 15-month-old war and return Israeli hostages before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.
Israeli mediators were dispatched to resume talks in Doha brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators and yesterday, US President Joe Biden’s administration, which is helping to broker the talks, urged Hamas to agree to a deal. Hamas said it was committed to reaching an agreement but it was unclear how close the two sides were.
The Gaza health ministry said more than 40 people were killed yesterday after 71 were killed a day earlier including in Al Mawasi, an area in central Gaza previously declared a humanitarian safe zone by Israeli authorities.
Yesterday, the military told civilians in the area of Al Bureij in central Gaza to evacuate ahead of an operation it ordered following rocket attacks from the area. It said residents should move to the humanitarian zone for their own safety.
Israel launched its assault on Gaza in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, in which fighters stormed border communities from Gaza, killing around 1,200 people and seizing around 250 hostages according to Israeli tallies.
Its military campaign has levelled swathes of the enclave, driving most people from their homes, and has killed 45,658 Palestinians according to the Gaza health ministry.
Severe winter weather has caused bitter hardship to hundreds of thousands who are sheltering in makeshift tent encampments.
The US, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to mediate a deal for a ceasefire and hostage release for a year with no success and are making another push this month before Trump’s inauguration.
Yesterday, Hamas said it wanted “a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip” and the return of displaced people to their homes in all areas of the enclave.
Biden has repeatedly called for a ceasefire agreement. Trump has said that if there is not a deal to release the hostages before his inauguration, “all hell is going to break out”.
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