At least 13 killed by Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza
At least 13 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes that hit refugee camps in central Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health service.
Palestinian officials said homes in the Nuseirat and Bureij camps were hit on Friday night and Saturday morning.
Three children and one woman were reported to be among the dead.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said: “Overnight, the IDF struck terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including terrorists and terrorist infrastructure sites in the area of Nuseirat.
“The IDF is making significant efforts to mitigate harm to uninvolved civilians and is operating in accordance with international law against the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip that are systematically and cynically operating from within civilian infrastructure.”
Nuseirat residents described living in constant fear of being bombed and a deteriorating humanitarian situation.
“The situation is scary,” said Rahma Abu Hajjaj, a 39-year-old mother of five from Nuserirat.
“There are no warnings, there are no alarms when homes are bombed, we are hiding all the time and we do not know why they are targeting these homes.”
The attacks happened as international mediators, including the United States, continued to push Israel and Hamas towards a cease-fire deal.
The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said a deal between Hamas and Isreal to release Israeli hostages and stop the war was "inside the 10-yard line".
He added: "We know that anything in the last 10 yards are the hardest”.
Stop-and-start negotiations between the warring sides have been underway since November and have so far proved fruitless.
In the latest attacks in Gaza, a medical team delivered a live baby from a Palestinian woman killed in an airstrike that hit her home in Nuseirat on Thursday evening.
The unnamed newborn is stable, but has suffered from a shortage of oxygen and has been placed in an incubator, said Dr. Khalil Dajran on Friday.
The war in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas’ attack on Isreal on 7 October, has killed more than 38,900 people, according to Hamas.
Hamas’ October attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and militants took about 250 hostage. About 120 remain in captivity, with about a third of them believed to be dead, according to Israeli authorities.
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