Ceasefire talks set to resume as IDF confirm capture of Gaza hospital chief Dr Hussam Abu Safiya
At least 30 people, including children, have been killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes as stalled ceasefire talks are set to resume in Qatar.
Staff at the Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital said more than a dozen women and children were killed in strikes that hit various sites in central Gaza
The Israeli army is yet to comment on the latest strikes, however, in a statement on Friday, it said that over the past day it had struck dozens of Hamas gathering points and command and control centers throughout Gaza.
The war in Gaza has killed 45,581 Palestinians and wounded more than 108,400 people since it began, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Thursday.
It comes as an Israeli delegation is expected to arrive in Qatar on Friday to resume the previously halted peace talks over hostage negotiations and a Gaza ceasefire deal.
Official negotiations broke down last August with both parties blaming the other for talks stalling.
As recently as last week Netanyahu accused Hamas of “reneging on understandings" and Hamas said Israel had set “new issues and conditions” on the terms of a deal.
Despite this, sources within both parties have voiced cautious optimism over the past month about the prospects of reaching an agreement.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has also confirmed it captured a prominent Gazan doctor in a raid on a hospital last week, despite previously denying reports he had ben detained.
Hospital chief Dr Hussam Abu Safiya has not been seen publicly since the IDF raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital.
Gaza's Health Ministry said Dr Abu Safiya was arrested along with dozens of other staff and taken to an interrogation centre.
In a statement, the IDF said: "Hussam Abu Sufaya was apprehended for suspected involvement in terrorist activities, and for holding a rank in the Hamas terror organization, while hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were hiding inside the Kamal Adwan Hospital under his management.
"He is currently being investigated by Israeli security forces.
"The cynical exploitation of the Kamal Adwan Hospital by the Hamas terrorist organization is not new, with the previous hospital manager having confessed to being a senior Hamas operative."
Hospital officials deny claims Hamas fighters operated inside, and the Israeli military has provided no evidence for the claims.
Despite official peace negotiations having been deadlocked for months, indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have continued with US President Joe Biden administration pushing for a deal to be reached.
The current deal being discussed is similar to Biden's three-phase proposal, announced in May last year, which suggested a release of hostages held in Gaza along with a “full and complete ceasefire.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of hostages, welcomed the news of renewed talks but also pushed for urgency.
“We cannot miss this window of opportunity! The 100 hostages being held in the depths of Hamas tunnels in Gaza don’t have time for delays in the negotiations,” the forum said on X on Thursday.
Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesperson confirmed that the Israeli Prime Minister plans to hold a meeting in Doha on Friday to discuss the “mandate of the delegation,” which consist of a mix of professional-level representatives from the Israel Security Agency (ISA), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, known as Mossad.
Qatar and Egypt successfully mediated a temporary ceasefire at the end of 2023 where more than 100 hostages were released over several weeks in exchange for the release of Palestinians jailed in Israel and are hoping for another successful negotiation.
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