 "Israeli strikes kill at least 62 in Gaza as ceasefire prospects inch closer")
At least 62 people were killed in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes late Friday and into Saturday morning, as the humanitarian crisis deepens and efforts to secure a ceasefire show renewed momentum.
Also among the dead were 12 people near the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people and eight more in apartments, according to staff at Shifa Hospital. More than 20 bodies were taken to Nasser Hospital, according to health officials.
A midday strike killed 11 people on a street in eastern Gaza City and their bodies were taken to Al-Ahli Hospital. A strike on a gathering at the entrance to the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed two, according to Al-Awda hospital.
Meanwhile, ceasefire efforts are gaining traction, with Qatar, the United States and Egypt engaging both Israel and Hamas in fresh talks. The push follows this week’s ceasefire between Iran and Israel, which mediators hope to leverage into progress on Gaza.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told AFP that Doha and its partners are “trying to use the momentum that was created by the ceasefire between Iran and Israel to restart the talks over Gaza.”
“If we don’t utilise this window of opportunity and this momentum, it’s an opportunity lost amongst many in the near past,” said al-Ansari, who also serves as an adviser to Qatar’s prime minister.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsUS President Donald Trump says there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters on Friday, he said, “We’re working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of.”
Talks have been on again off again since Israel broke the latest ceasefire in March, continuing its military campaign in Gaza and furthering the Strip’s dire humanitarian crisis. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, fewer than half of them believed to still be alive. They were part of some 250 hostages taken when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7, 2023, sparking the 21-month-long war.
The war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and children.
There is hope among hostage families that Trump’s involvement in securing the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, and he could feel he has more space to move toward ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose.
Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war in Gaza. Netanyahu says he will only end the war once Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected.
With inputs from agencies
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
