An Israeli airstrike has killed at least 18 people from the same family in Gaza, including a number of young children, while talks continue for a ceasefire deal.
The strike during the early hours of Saturday morning hit a house and an adjacent warehouse sheltering people at the entrance of the town of Zawaida, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah.
One of those killed has been named as Sami Jawad al-Ejlah, who reportedly coordinated with the Israeli military to bring meat and fish to Gaza.
The dead also included his two wives, 11 of their children aged two to 22, the children’s grandmother, and three other relatives, according to a fatality list provided by the hospital.
“He was a peaceful man,” said Abu Ahmed, a neighbour who was slightly wounded in the attack.
Also in the building at the time of the strike were more than 40 people who were taking shelter.
The Israeli military, which rarely comments on individual strikes, said it was checking the report.
It comes as mediators from different nations expressed hope that a deal could be reached between Israel and Hamas, with details of how to implement the proposed arrangement taking place in Cairo next week.
US President Joe Biden has indicated he is now more optimistic about a ceasefire, after days of discussions between the US, Egypt and Qatar.
“As of an hour ago, we’re still in play. I’m optimistic. It’s still far from over. Just a couple more issues, I think we’ve got a shot,” he told reporters on Friday.
The attack came days after the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the besieged enclave announced the death toll had surpassed 40,000 over the course of the 10-month war.
The mediation efforts are aimed not just at securing the release of scores of Israeli hostages that have been held inside Gaza since 7 October, but also stop the fighting that has devastated the region.
With basic sanitation and necessary supplies running low, aid and health workers fear a possible polio outbreak, with the virus detected in wastewater in six different locations in July.
A ceasefire is also aimed at tamping down regional tensions that have threatened to explode into a broader war amid fears that Iran and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon would attack Israel in retaliation for the killings of top militant leader
