Breadcrumb
Israeli negotiators head to Qatar for Gaza ceasefire deal
Israeli bombardment killed 10 civilians from one family, including children, bringing down an apartment block belonging to the Al-Turk family in central Gaza, as an Israeli delegation headed to Qatar to continue ceasefire negotiations.
According to the Palestinian Wafa news agency, dozens were wounded in the attack that caused extensive destruction to buildings.
The strikes come amid already difficult conditions, as rescue teams struggle to reach survivors.
Further attacks in north Gaza, which has been under a full siege for over two months, have partially destroyed the Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the last remaining partially functioning health facilities in the area.
Drone strikes and bombing in close proximity to the hospital knocked out power generators, medical officials in the enclave said on Tuesday, with World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus describing conditions there as "appalling" and urging for "this hell to stop".
Palestine’s ministry of education on Tuesday also said that around 12,799 students have been killed since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, while around 20,942 others have been wounded in the same time frame.
In the occupied West Bank, at least 118 students have been killed, 631 wounded and 538 arrested since the start of the war on the Strip.
The war has had a devastating impact on education, with around 425 educational institutions affiliated with the UN agency UNRWA bombed and vandalised. The aggression has also meant that around 788,000 students in the Strip have not had access to education for around 14 months.
The UN on Monday denounced an Israeli attack on a school in Khan Younis on Sunday evening that killed dozens of civilians sheltering there.
"In Gaza city, humanitarian partners say hostilities escalated over the weekend – particularly in areas affected by the new evacuation orders – leaving more Palestinians killed and injured," UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
"We once again condemn all killings of civilians," he added.
Dujarric also noted that Israel has rejected all requests made by the UN for three humanitarian operations to be carried out and allow food and water into northern Gaza.
Gaps in ceasefire talks
Meanwhile, an Israeli delegation left for Qatar on Monday to discuss a potential ceasefire deal.
The Israeli Walla news site said the talks were aimed at narrowing "remaining gaps in the indirect negotiations with Hamas".
Citing a senior Israeli official, the report adds that some issues are still being assessed, including the number of captives to be released and the number of Palestinian prisoners to be freed in exchange.
The Israeli Ynet news site also cited a senior political source as saying that they are aiming to reach a deal prior to US-President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, following a sharply worded warning he issued.
"All the details of the agreement are clear, with the main dispute being over the number of hostages to be released in the first phase of the deal" the political source said.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Bahrain’s king Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire in a conversation this week, Egypt’s presidency said in a statement.
The leaders also urged for a deal that would lead to unimpeded delivery of aid and a quick deal that would lead to the exchange of captives and prisoners.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 45,028 Palestinians and wounded at least 106,962 others in the same time frame. The war has levelled entire neighbourhoods and plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.