By Nidal al-Mughrabi
CAIRO (Reuters) – Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 30 Palestinians on Saturday, local health officials said, as Qatar expressed hope for new momentum in efforts to achieve a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reported strikes in Gaza City and Rafah.
Palestinian health officials said dozens of people were also injured in the enclave on Saturday. The territory's health ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in the daily death count, and Reuters could not independently verify the figures.
The Israeli army said it killed several Hamas militants identified as operating from a structure in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Friday, according to a statement released Saturday.
Palestinian health officials said at least 20 people, including six children and five women, were killed in the attack.
Israel accuses the Islamist group of using the population and civilian property as shields. Hamas denies this.
Qatar Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatar is engaging with the new Trump administration on Gaza after sensing new momentum for ceasefire talks after the American elections.
Donald Trump's Middle East envoy traveled to Qatar and Israel to launch the US president-elect's diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire and hostage release deal before his inauguration on January 20, a source briefed on the discussions told Reuters on Thursday.
Hamas said on Saturday that a ceasefire agreement could only be reached if it guaranteed an end to the war in Gaza, reaffirming its exceptional position. Israel says the war can only end once Hamas is eradicated.
“Stopping the war and aggression is the condition for any agreement,” Hamas said in a statement quoting a senior member of the group, Mohammad Darwish.
Hamas did not name a new leader after Israel killed the group's leader, Yahya Al-Sinwar, in Gaza on October 17, but the statement described Darwish as the head of the ruling council.
Darwish met with the Turkish foreign minister on Friday and the Iranian foreign minister on Saturday to discuss developments in Gaza and the region, the statement said.
Both meetings took place in Doha, Qatar, which announced on Saturday that officials were trying to restart ceasefire talks.
“He (Darwish) explained that Hamas was open to offers from mediators as long as they served the interests of our people and ended their suffering,” the statement said.
The war in Gaza has raged for more than 14 months, with much of the enclave devastated and more than 44,000 Palestinians killed, according to Gaza health authorities, as Israeli forces continue their efforts to eliminate Hamas and save the hostages taken by the militant. band.
The deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence in decades began when Hamas stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and bringing more than 250 hostages back to Gaza.
In the occupied West Bank on Saturday, a Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces at a checkpoint, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. Police said a security guard shot him after he threw firecrackers at law enforcement and a knife was found on him.
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