Israeli strikes in Gaza kill dozens as preparations for high-level cease-fire talks move forward

Multiple airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip killed at least three dozen Palestinians on Saturday as preparations moved ahead for high-level cease-fire talks in Egypt.

Among the dead were 11 members of the same family, including two children, when an Israeli airstrike hit their home in the city of Khan Younis early Saturday, according to Nasser Hospital where the bodies and wounded were taken.

The hospital received a total of 33 dead who were killed in three separate strikes in and around Khan Younis. The city’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said it had received another three bodies from an early Saturday strike.

Seventeen others were killed when a strike hit a road south of Khan Younis, including the passengers on a tuk-tuk and passers-by, Nasser Hospital said. Another strike hit a tuk-tuk east of Khan Younis, killing at least five people.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports but had no immediate comment.

Talks of a possible cease-fire

Meanwhile, in Cairo, mediators were working to pave the way for high-level talks on Sunday on a possible cease-fire mediated by the U.S. Egypt and Qatar.

President Biden’s top Mideast adviser, Brett McGurk, and CIA Director William Burns are part of a U.S. delegation that traveled to Cairo after talks about how a cease-fire in Gaza could be implemented restarted this week. The talks that started on Thursday included mediators from Egypt and Israel, CBS News previously reported.

An Israeli delegation that arrived Thursday included David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence service, the head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service, and top general Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano.

The White House on Friday said the talks had been constructive and that progress had been made, without providing specific details.

A Hamas delegation is set to arrive in the Egyptian capital on Saturday to hear from the mediators, the militant group said in a statement.  Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawy stressed to the Associated Press that the group will not take part directly in the Sunday talks, but instead will be briefed by Egypt and Qatar.

The U.S. has been pushing a bridging proposal that aims at closing the gaps between Israel and Hamas, as pressure mounts for a cease-fire and fears grow over a wider regional war after the recent targeted killings of leaders of the militant Hamas and Hezbollah groups, both blamed on Israel.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that during his three-hour conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week, Israel agreed to the plan. The secretary said it outlines for the IDF “a very clear schedule and locations for withdrawals.” However, since they spoke, Netanyahu has made public remarks that contradict the statement.

Biden called Israeli Netanyahu on Wednesday to stress the urgency of reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal and discussed developments with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt on Friday. 

Implementation details on related key technical issues are still very challenging, but the U.S. remains hopeful that the final “bridging” proposal it presented last week will lead to a breakthrough.

A major impasse has been the Philadelphi corridor alongside Gaza’s border with Egypt and the Netzarim east-west corridor across the territory. Hamas is demanding a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, while Netanyahu has insisted that Israel must retain control of the corridors.

Hamas political official Bassem Naim said last week that the working proposal at the time had adopted Netanyahu’s demands, including that Israeli forces remain in control of both the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors.

Ahead of Sunday’s talks, Merdawy said Hamas’ position had not changed from accepting an earlier draft that would include the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

History of the war in Gaza

The war in Gaza broke out on Oct. 7 when Hamas and other militants staged a surprise attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people, primarily civilians. About 250 people were abducted and taken into Gaza as hostages. More than 100 hostages were released during a cease-fire last year, but Hamas is still believed to be holding around 110 more, about a third of whom are dead, according to estimates from Israeli authorities.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. It has also caused widespread destruction and forced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to flee their homes.