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The Israeli forces have started pounding Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering, killing at least 21 civilians. The victims included many children.
The houses hit in Rafah included the homes of the Abu Lebda family, the Al-Attar family, the Shteiwi family, the Al-Hashash family, the Qishta family and the Armilat family.
At least 34,683 Palestinians have been killed and 78,018 injured in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since October 7, the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave said on Sunday.
Prospects for a Gaza ceasefire appeared slim on Sunday as Hamas reiterated its demand for an end to the war in exchange for the freeing of hostages, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly ruled that out.
The two sides blamed each other for the impasse.
In their second day of truce talks in Cairo with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, Hamas negotiators maintained their stance that any truce agreement must end the war, Palestinian officials said.
Israeli officials have not travelled to Cairo to take part in indirect diplomacy, but on Sunday Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s aim since the start of the war nearly seven months ago: to disarm and dismantle the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas for good or else endanger Israel’s future security.
The prime minister said Israel was willing to pause fighting in Gaza in order to secure the release of hostages still being held by Hamas, believed to number more than 130.
“But while Israel has shown willingness, Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme positions, first among them the demand to remove all our forces from the Gaza Strip, end the war, and leave Hamas in power,” Netanyahu said. “Israel cannot accept that.”
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has said that they are keen on reaching a comprehensive ceasefire that will end Israeli “aggression”, guarantee withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza, and achieve a serious captive swap deal.
In a statement, Haniyeh accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of continuation of the aggression and the expansion of the circle of conflict, and sabotaging the efforts made through the mediators and various parties”.
A top UN official on Sunday accused Israel of continuing to deny the United Nations humanitarian access in the Gaza Strip, where the UN food chief warned a “full-blown famine” has taken hold in the north of the enclave of 2.3 million people.
While not a formal famine declaration, World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain said in an interview on Sunday — that based on the “horror” on the ground: “There is famine, full-blown famine, in the north, and it’s moving its way south.”
The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, on Sunday accused Israel of continuing to deny the United Nations aid access in Gaza as it tries to avert famine.
“Only in the past 2 weeks, we have recorded 10 incidents involving shooting at convoys, arrests of UN staff including bullying, stripping them naked, threats with arms & long delays at checkpoints forcing convoys to move during the dark or abort,” Lazzarini posted on X.
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