The Israeli regime has killed at least nine people and wounded dozens across the Gaza Strip since dawn, according to Al Jazeera, as Egypt hosts a new round of talks with Hamas and other Palestinian factions to salvage a US-brokered “ceasefire”.
Five people were killed in a strike on a police post in al-Mawasi near Khan Younis, three in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, and one on a beach in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
Major fighting has been paused since last October under a “ceasefire” after two years of war. But no agreement has been reached on a US-backed plan for Israeli troop withdrawal, Hamas disarmament, and Gaza reconstruction.
Hamas told envoys from the Board of Peace and mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye that ending Israeli attacks in Gaza is essential for any progress, according to sources from the group and officials close to the Cairo talks who spoke to Reuters.
Discussions are expected to continue for several days. Since last October, about 947 Palestinians have been killed and over 2,900 injured in continued Israeli attacks. Hamas fighters have killed four Israeli soldiers during the same period.
Apartment buildings, markets, vehicles, and cafes continue to be struck. Families receive displacement orders minutes before their homes are bombed. The Israeli regime controls about 64% of the Gaza Strip, up from the 53% envisaged under the ceasefire agreement.
On May 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly instructed the military to expand control to 70%. Following the first phase of the “ceasefire,” where Hamas released all remaining captives, the parties were supposed to enter a second phase involving Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawal. That transition has been stalled for months.
On Friday, Husam Badran, a Hamas political bureau member, told Al Jazeera that the group would not hand over its weapons yet, saying the fate of its arsenal would be decided after comprehensive discussions with other Palestinian factions. The Israeli regime’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed at least 72,971 people, turned most of the territory into rubble, and displaced nearly 1.9 million people.
Source: www.aljazeera.com