Israel airstrike kills at least 24 in Gaza as mediators host ceasefire talks

An Israeli airstrike killed at least 24 Palestinians in a tent encampment housing displaced families in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, local health authorities said on Sunday, as mediators hosted a new round of talks between Israel and Hamas.

Israel expanded its military offensive in the enclave and ramped up bombing that has killed hundreds of people over the past 72 hours.

Medics said the latest strike that also killed women and children, wounded dozens of other people and set several tents ablaze.

The Gaza health ministry said Israeli strikes in the past few days had killed hundreds of Palestinians despite a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to the region.

Hamas described the strike as a “new brutal crime” in a statement on Sunday and blamed the U.S. administration for the escalation.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the latest strikes but it said in an earlier statement that it was conducting extensive strikes in areas of Gaza as part of its plan to reach its war objectives.

Egypt and Qatar mediators, backed by the United States, began a new round of indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas on Saturday, officials from both sides said.

Sources close to the negotiation told Reuters there has been no breakthrough reported in the talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, as each of the sides remained committed to its stance.