Israeli strikes kill nine in Gaza as Egypt hosts renewed ceasefire talks

Israeli strikes killed at least nine people across the Gaza Strip on Sunday as Egypt opened a new round of ceasefire talks in Cairo with Hamas and other Palestinian factions. The attacks were reported in several parts of the territory, including near Khan Younis in the south, Gaza City in the north and Deir el-Balah in central Gaza. The talks are aimed at salvaging a US-brokered ceasefire and addressing the next steps in the conflict.

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According to information gathered from the ground, five people were killed in a strike on a police post in the al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis, three were killed in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, and one person was killed on a beach in Deir el-Balah. Dozens of others were injured in the strikes. The discussions in Cairo are expected to continue for several days, with Hamas and mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye involved in the process.

The renewed diplomacy comes as the ceasefire arrangement remains under strain. Major fighting has been paused since last October after two years of war, but no agreement has been reached on the more difficult issues of Israeli withdrawal, Hamas disarmament and reconstruction in Gaza. Hamas has said ending Israeli attacks is essential for any progress, according to officials close to the talks.

The Israeli military now controls about 64 percent of the Gaza Strip, above the 53 percent envisaged under the ceasefire agreement. The latest strikes underline how fragile the truce remains even as regional mediators try to keep negotiations alive. The talks in Cairo are significant because they are intended to move beyond the first phase of the ceasefire and into a second stage that would involve a pullback of Israeli forces and the disarmament of Hamas.

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That transition has been stalled for months, leaving the future of the agreement uncertain and the humanitarian situation in Gaza unresolved. The conflict has continued to produce casualties and displacement despite the pause in major fighting. Since last October, about 947 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,900 injured in continued Israeli attacks, while Hamas fighters have killed four Israeli soldiers over the same period.

Apartment buildings, markets, vehicles and cafes have also been struck, and families have reportedly received displacement orders only minutes before their homes were bombed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 28 that he had instructed the military to expand its control of the Gaza Strip to 70 percent. What remains unclear is whether the Cairo talks can produce any breakthrough on the core disputes that have blocked implementation of the next phase.

It is also not clear how long the current round of negotiations will last or whether the latest strikes will affect the pace of the discussions. The key issues to watch are whether mediators can narrow the gap on withdrawal, disarmament and reconstruction, and whether attacks on Gaza continue while diplomacy is under way.

#Gaza #Israel #Egypt #Hamas #ceasefire

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