American and Arab mediators are working around the clock to hammer out a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, sources close to the talks said, while doctors in the Gaza Strip said 41 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Thursday.
At talks in Egypt and Qatar, mediators are trying to broker an agreement to halt the 14-month war in the Hamas-ruled enclave, which would include the release of hostages seized from Israel on October 7, 2023, along with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Mediators managed to narrow some gaps on previous sticking points, but differences remained, sources said.
In Gaza, doctors said at least 13 Palestinians were killed overnight in separate Israeli airstrikes, including on two houses in Gaza City and the central camp.
Medics say an Israeli airstrike killed nine people near the Beach refugee camp in Gaza City, and another airstrike killed four others in a housing estate near Beit Lahiya in the north.
Later on Thursday, airstrikes killed at least 15 Palestinians in two shelters for displaced families in the eastern Gaza suburb of Tuffah, doctors said, raising the death toll to 41 on Thursday.
The Israeli military said it struck Hamas fighters operating from command and control complexes in areas previously used as Al-Karama and Sha'ban schools in Tuffah. It said Hamas used the compounds to plan and carry out attacks against its forces, but provided no evidence.
Residents of Jabaliya in northern Gaza, where the Israeli army has been operating since October, say forces blew up clusters of houses overnight.
“The longer these talks continue, the more destruction and death occurs in Gaza. Jabalia, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya are annihilated. Rafah too,” said Adel, 60, a resident of Jabalia, currently displaced in Gaza City.
Signs of ethnic cleansing, aid group points to Israel
A report released Thursday by Doctors Without Borders said there were clear signs of ethnic cleansing in the Israeli offensive due to the forced displacement and bombing of Palestinians.
“The signs of ethnic cleansing and ongoing devastation – including mass killings, serious physical and mental health injuries, forced displacement, and impossible living conditions for Palestinians during the siege and bombing – are undeniable,” aid group chief Christopher Lockyear said in the report.
“Palestinians have been killed in their homes and hospital beds… Under a punishing siege and blockade, people cannot find even the most basic necessities such as food, clean water, medicine and soap,” MSF said.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on the MSF report, but Israel has previously denied carrying out ethnic cleansing and says its campaign aims to annihilate Hamas and prevent its regrouping.
Israel accuses the militant group of using civilian infrastructure and the population as a human shield. Hamas denies this.
Ceasefire talks are ongoing
Sources close to the mediation efforts said Hamas was pushing for a one-package agreement, but Israel wanted a phased agreement. The talks focus on the first stage of freeing the hostages, living and dead, as well as a number of Palestinians held by Israel.
On Tuesday, the parties discussed the number and categories of people to be released, but the matter has not yet been finalized, said the source, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the talks.
The source said that one of the issues is Israel's demand to retain the right to act against any possible military threats from Gaza and the stationing of Israeli forces at various stages of the agreement.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel will have control over security in the Gaza Strip after defeating Hamas.
Talks aimed at brokering a ceasefire and the release of hostages between Israel and Hamas have resumed in Cairo, with sources close to the negotiations saying an agreement could be signed in the coming days. Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip express hope that this round of talks will end the war and allow life to resume.
According to Israeli data, Israel launched its air and ground attack on Gaza after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages back to Gaza.
Israel says about 100 hostages are still being held, but it is unclear how many are alive.
The Israeli campaign killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, displaced most of the 2.3 million population and reduced much of the coastal enclave to ruins.
on Thursday, Human Rights Watch said Israel has killed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza by denying them clean water, which it says legally amounts to an act of genocide and extermination.
Israel's foreign ministry accused the rights group of lying, saying Israel had facilitated the continued flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza since the beginning of the war despite continued attacks by Hamas.