Israeli airstrike kills 10 people, half of them children, as mediators try to restart a ceasefire

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike flattened a three-story home in Gaza City on Saturday, killing 10 people — half of them children — as Arab mediators scrambled to restart a ceasefire.

Israeli strikes killed at least 49 people in the past 24 hours, according to health officials.

The dead in the early morning airstrike in a neighborhood in western Gaza City included three women and five children, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the bodies.

Israel’s military said that it had struck a Hamas militant and the structure where he operated collapsed, adding that the collapse was under review.

'‘There is no one from the resistance among them,‘’ said Saed Al-Khour, who lost his family in the strike. ‘’Since 1 o’clock until now we have been pulling out the remains of children, women and elderly people.‘’ He stood amid the rubble, under a tilted ceiling.

Three other people were killed in the Shati refugee camp along Gaza City’s shoreline.

Hamas said Saturday that it had sent a high-level delegation to Cairo to try and get the ceasefire, shattered last month by Israeli bombardment, back on track.

Israel has vowed to continue the war until all hostages are returned and Hamas is destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile. It says it will hold parts of Gaza indefinitely and implement U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for the resettlement of the population in other countries, which has been widely rejected internationally.

Hamas has said that it will only release the dozens of hostages it holds in return for Palestinian prisoners, a complete Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire, as called for in the now-defunct agreement reached in January.

Hamas said that its delegation will discuss with Egyptian officials the group’s vision to end the war, which also includes reconstruction.

Earlier this week, other Hamas officials arrived in Cairo to discuss a proposal that would include a five-to-seven year truce and the release of all remaining hostages, officials said.

Egypt and Qatar are developing the proposal, which would include the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners, according to an Egyptian official and a Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief media.

Israeli blockade continues

Israel has continued its nearly two-month blockade of Gaza, even as aid groups warn that supplies are dwindling.

On Friday, the World Food Program said that its food stocks in Gaza had run out, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. It said the dozens of charity kitchens it supports are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

About 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the U.N.

'‘Meanwhile, nearly 3,000 UNRWA trucks of lifesaving aid are ready to enter Gaza,‘’ the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said on social media. ‘’The siege must stop.‘’

Hamas on Saturday called on the Trump administration to immediately reverse its decision that the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees isn’t immune from being sued, calling it a dangerous step by Israel’s close ally.

Israel’s offensive has killed more than 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. The militants still have 59 hostages, 24 believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo.

___

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war