Gaza ceasefire negotiations continue as Israel embark on a new wave of strikes | Israeli-Gaza War

According to health officials in the Palestinian territory, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continued on the second day in Qatar as new strikes were launched by Israeli fighter jets and artillery in the Gaza region, causing at least 103 people to strike.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel reached an agreement with Hamas, which included an "end of the fight" in Gaza, but elaborated on the conditions that radical Islamic groups have repeatedly rejected.

"Even at this moment, the negotiation team in Doha is working to exhaust all possible deals ... which will include the release of all hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip," his office said in a statement.

In Gaza, medical officials said they were unable to cope with the casualties of the recent strike.

"The number of casualties in hospitals is increasing, many are children, several amputations and hospitals that are repeatedly hitting hospitals in the occupation, and they are struggling with a shortage of medical supplies," said Khalil Al-Deqran, spokesman for the district's health ministry.

In northern Gaza, a strike took place on Sunday in a house in the Jabbaria region, according to the Ministry of Health Emergency Services. Civil defense officials said another strike in Jabaliya killed 10 people, including seven children and a woman.

At least 12 people were killed in three strikes in central Gaza. According to medical staff at Nasser Hospital, 48 people were killed in air strikes in and around the southern city of Khan Younis, some of whom attacked the homes and tents of the displaced.

There was no independent confirmation of the death toll, and the Israeli military did not immediately comment on the overnight strike.

Israeli officials described the new attack as a major new offensive, codenamed Gideon's chariot, which they said could lead to the occupation of Gaza and displace many people.

According to the regional health ministry, Israel's attack in Gaza killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, many of whom were women and children. Israel accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields (accusation the group denied) and said it had attacked "terrorist targets."

Hamas took about 250 hostages in the October 2023 attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people. Hamas still holds 57 hostages, although most of them are considered dead.

Indirect negotiations in Qatar were reportedly focused on ensuring a two-month truce, with Hamas freeing about half of about 20 hostages. In return, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinians from prison and end a tight lockdown that has been put in Gaza since early March. The United States will provide strong assurances to ensure talk about the permanent ending of the war.

In March, Israel refused to negotiate the second phase of the fragile two-month ceasefire, which could lead to an end to the conflict and release of the rest of the hostages. It then imposed a tight blockade on Gaza and re-launched the air attack.

Netanyahu has been repeatedly accused of extending the war for domestic political reasons (accusations he denied) and has often promised that Israel would continue to fight until Hamas is “crumbled.”

Hamas released the U.S.-Israel hostages in a kind-hearted manner last week before Donald Trump's four-day visit to the Middle East, after insisting on a deal that would eventually end the war and result in the evacuation of Israeli forces. It also refuses to disarm or accept exile from its leaders.

"The Hamas delegation outlined... the need to end the war, exchange prisoners, Israel's evacuation from Gaza, allowing humanitarian aid and all the needs of the Gaza people to return to the streets," Taher al-Nono, a media adviser to the group's leadership, told Reuters on Saturday.

Israel claims Hamas systematically seized aid to fund its military and other operations and has proposed a plan to distribute humanitarian aid from Gaza hubs operated by private contractors and protected by Israeli forces.

The United States has supported the program, which was described by aid agencies as infeasible, dangerous and potentially illegal as it could lead to forced mass transfer of the population.

Food security experts warn that any delay will lose lives and cases of acute malnutrition, especially among young children, are soaring.

Earlier this week, Israel's heaviest strike was against Gaza's current Hamas commander Mohammed Sinwar, who Israeli officials said was sheltering a tunnel system under the hospital complex in Khan Younis. Israeli Defense Minister Katz reportedly suggested Sinwar was killed on Sunday.

The prospect of a huge attack on Gaza in March, the recent tight blockade on Gaza has attracted a growing wave of international attention and anger.

Volker Türk, UN Human Rights Director, said Friday that the bombing campaign aims to achieve "a permanent population change in Gaza" which is "a violation of international law" and is equivalent to ethnic cleansing.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also responded to his comments, calling for a permanent ceasefire in his speech at the Arab League summit in Baghdad on Saturday.

Regional tensions remain high after Trump’s visit.

Meanwhile, Israel's air defense system intercepted a Houthi missile in the country earlier Sunday, in which Yemen was fired by two missiles fired by Iran-backed militias at Israel's main airport.

Israel attacked Yemen for the eighth time since the Gaza war began in response to Houthi attacks.