Israeli strikes kill at least 12 in Gaza as ceasefire efforts inch forward

Hospitals in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians Saturday, one of the highest tolls since an October agreement aimed at stopping the fighting.

The strikes hit locations in northern and southern Gaza, including an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent in Khan Younis, officials at hospitals that received the bodies said. The casualties included two women and six children from two different families.

The strikes came a day before a border crossing is set to open in Gaza's southernmost city, a reminder that the death toll is still rising even as a ceasefire agreement inches forward.

 

All of the territory's border crossings have been closed since the start of the war and Palestinians see the Rafah crossing with Egypt as a lifeline for the tens of thousands in need of treatment outside the territory, where the majority of medical infrastructure has been destroyed.

Shifa Hospital said the Gaza City strike killed a mother, three children and one of their relatives on Saturday morning, while Nasser Hospital said a strike in a tent camp caused a fire to break out, killing seven, including a father, his three children and three grandchildren.

Gaza's Health Ministry has recorded more than 500 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the start of the ceasefire on Oct 10. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.

Israel's military did not immediately respond to questions about the strikes.

Shifa Hospital said the Gaza City strike took killed a mother, three children and one of their relatives, while Nasser Hospital said a strike in a tent camp caused a fire to break out, killing seven, including a father, his three children and three grandchildren.