Israeli military strikes across Gaza killed at least 22 people on Wednesday. The news was announced by Palestinian doctors as the US stepped up efforts to overcome obstacles between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire to end the war. One of the airstrikes killed at least 10 civilians in an apartment building in Gaza City's Sheikh Radaan neighborhood, while another killed five in the nearby Zeitoun suburb, medics said.
In the city of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have taken refuge, an Israeli airstrike killed three more people. In Jabalia, where the army has been operating for more than three weeks, an Israeli airstrike killed four people, medics said. On Tuesday, Israeli military strikes killed at least 24 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, medics said, with two airstrikes hitting tent camps in Ma'asi, west of the southern city of Khan Younis, killing 18 people. Among the dead were several women and children.
While Israel continued its bombing, the US, Qatar and Egypt were making the most intensive efforts to achieve a ceasefire. A source close to the talks told Reuters it was the most serious attempt to reach a deal yet.
The outgoing US administration has called for a final push for a deal before President Joe Biden leaves office, and many in the region see the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on January 20 as an unofficial deadline.
Hamas also said Trump was quick to say there would be "hell to pay" if the hostages are not released at his inauguration. Osama Hamdan, an official with the Islamic group, told a news conference in Algiers on Tuesday: "I think the American president should make more disciplined and diplomatic statements."
Nearly 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, according to health officials in the enclave. The attack began after Hamas fighters attacked Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli data. (A2 Televizion)
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