Israeli Strikes Kill 49 in Gaza as Ceasefire Talks Resume in Cairo/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ At least 49 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes within 24 hours as ceasefire talks struggled to restart. Hamas sent a delegation to Cairo amid international mediation efforts. Meanwhile, Gaza faces a severe humanitarian crisis with food supplies running out. An Israeli airstrike flattened a three-story home in Gaza City on Saturday, killing 10 people — half of them children — as Arab mediators scrambled to restart a ceasefire.
Gaza Strikes and Ceasefire Talks Quick Looks
- Israeli airstrikes kill at least 49 people in 24 hours.
- Ten killed in a strike that flattened a house in Gaza City.
- Hamas sends senior delegation to Cairo to discuss ceasefire.
- Israel insists on holding parts of Gaza and resettlement plans.
- Egypt and Qatar are developing a new truce proposal.
- Gaza faces worsening food shortages; WFP reports stock depletion.
- Over 51,000 Palestinians have died since the war began.
- The war started after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Israeli Strikes Kill 49 in Gaza as Ceasefire Talks Resume in Cairo
Deep Look
49 Killed by Israeli Strikes in Gaza as Ceasefire Efforts Struggle to Regain Momentum
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — At least 49 Palestinians were killed over the past 24 hours by Israeli airstrikes, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported Saturday, as frantic mediation efforts continue to try to restore a shattered ceasefire agreement. An Israeli airstrike flattened a three-story home in Gaza City on Saturday, killing 10 people — half of them children — as Arab mediators scrambled to restart a ceasefire.
The dead in the early morning airstrike in a neighborhood in western Gaza City included three women and five children, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the bodies. Israel’s military said that it had struck a Hamas militant and the structure where he operated collapsed, adding that the collapse was under review.
“There is no one from the resistance among them,” said Saed Al-Khour, who lost his family in the strike. “Since 1 o’clock until now we have been pulling out the remains of children, women and elderly people.” He stood amid the rubble, under a tilted ceiling.
Three other people were killed in the Shati refugee camp along Gaza City’s shoreline.
In one of the deadliest attacks, an Israeli airstrike flattened a three-story house in a western Gaza City neighborhood early Saturday, killing 10 people, according to a cameraman working with The Associated Press. The Health Ministry later confirmed the deaths and reported three additional fatalities at the Shati refugee camp along the city’s coast.
Israel provided no immediate comment regarding the latest strikes.
The surge in violence coincides with Hamas sending a high-ranking delegation to Cairo to participate in renewed ceasefire talks. The delegation is tasked with presenting Hamas’ terms for ending the conflict, which center on the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a comprehensive reconstruction effort.
Israel, which ended a ceasefire with Hamas last month, has reiterated its goals: the unconditional return of all hostages held by Hamas and the group’s complete destruction or disarmament. Israeli officials have also endorsed President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to resettle portions of Gaza’s population in third countries — a proposal that has faced widespread international condemnation.
Hamas maintains that it will only release hostages in exchange for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal, and a permanent ceasefire — demands that align with the now-defunct January agreement.
Talks in Cairo have reportedly explored a proposal involving a five-to-seven-year truce, the gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of both hostages and Palestinian prisoners. According to an Egyptian official and a Hamas official, who spoke anonymously, Egypt and Qatar are still refining the details of the deal.
As diplomatic efforts stumble forward, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens daily. The territory remains under a tight Israeli blockade that has lasted nearly two months, cutting off critical supplies to a population already devastated by the ongoing conflict.
The World Food Program (WFP) announced Friday that it has exhausted its food supplies in Gaza, ending a critical lifeline for hundreds of thousands of residents. In a statement, the WFP said it delivered its last stocks to charity kitchens, warning that these too would run dry within days.
According to the United Nations, approximately 80% of Gaza’s more than 2 million residents now rely on charity kitchens for their meals. WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa said that 47 kitchens supported by the organization distribute 644,000 hot meals daily, though this operation is now at risk of collapsing entirely.
The Health Ministry in Gaza reports that more than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed during the conflict, the majority of whom are women and children. Israel claims to have killed approximately 20,000 militants but has provided no evidence to substantiate these figures.
The war was triggered by the unprecedented Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which left around 1,200 people dead — mostly civilians — and resulted in the abduction of 251 individuals. While most hostages have since been freed through ceasefire deals and other agreements, Hamas continues to hold 59 captives, with 24 believed to still be alive.
The latest escalation of violence and the deepening humanitarian emergency in Gaza cast a grim shadow over efforts to forge a sustainable peace. Mediators in Cairo face increasingly urgent pressure to broker a deal before conditions on the ground deteriorate even further.
Without a breakthrough, Gaza’s civilian population risks becoming trapped in an even more catastrophic humanitarian disaster as food shortages worsen, hospitals remain overwhelmed, and violence continues unabated.
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