Israeli Strikes Kill 25, Including 6 Children in Gaza, Amid Ceasefire Talks

By Desk On Aug 19, 2024

A family carrying their belongings, including a cat, fleeing a camp for displaced people in Khan Yunis after Israeli tanks took position on a hill overlooking the area, on Sunday.—AFP

CAIRO: Israeli strikes kill 25, including 6 children, in Gaza on Sunday, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv to push forward Gaza ceasefire negotiations, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The children and their mother were killed in a strike on a home in Deir Al-Balah, while the Israeli military stated it targeted rocket launchers in Khan Yunis, resulting in the deaths of 20 Palestinians.

As the death toll in Gaza, primarily comprising civilians, reached 40,099 since October of the previous year, international diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire have intensified. Talks, mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar, are scheduled to continue this week in Cairo. These follow the Doha meeting, which Hamas boycotted after the killing of its leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

Secretary Blinken, who arrived in Tel Aviv on Sunday, plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and President Isaac Herzog before heading to Egypt on Tuesday.

Grief and Desperation in Gaza

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. The youngest victim was just 18 months old. Their grandfather, Mohammed Khattab, expressed his anguish at the funeral, questioning the justification for their deaths.

The ongoing conflict has left Palestinians in Gaza in a state of desperation as they struggle to find safety. Tamer Al-Burai, a resident of Deir Al-Balah, expressed frustration over the displacement, noting that people are being forced into increasingly confined areas.

In response to the escalating violence, the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of areas north of Khan Yunis and east of Deir Al-Balah, where thousands of displaced families had been seeking refuge in dire conditions.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the designated “humanitarian area” deemed safe by Israeli forces had been reduced to approximately 11% of the territory.

In a related incident, three UN peacekeepers patrolling near Yarine in southern Lebanon were injured by a blast close to their vehicle, as confirmed by the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.