CAIRO – Israeli strikes have killed 77 Palestinians in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the territory’s health authorities said on March 31, as Egypt hosted an Israeli delegation for a new round of talks in a bid to secure a truce with Gaza’s Hamas rulers.
The Israeli military said it killed a senior Islamic Jihad militant in a strike on a command centre in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza.
“The command centre and terrorists were struck precisely, intended on minimising harm to uninvolved civilians in the area of the hospital,” the military said.
“The Al-Aqsa Hospital building was not damaged and its functioning was not affected.”
There was no immediate comment from Islamic Jihad, a militant group and Hamas ally.
Palestinian health officials and Hamas media said the strike hit several tents inside the hospital, killing four people and wounding several, including five journalists.
The two sides have stepped up negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, on a six-week suspension of Israel’s offensive in return for the proposed release of 40 of 130 hostages still held by Hamas militants in Gaza after their Oct 7 attack on southern Israel.
Hamas has sought to parlay any deal into an end to the fighting and withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel has ruled this out, saying it would eventually resume efforts to dismantle the governing and military capabilities of the militant group.
Hamas would not be present at the talks in Cairo, an official told Reuters on March 31, as it waited to hear from mediators on whether a new Israeli offer was on the table.
In the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, Israeli forces continued to blockade the two main hospitals, and tanks shelled areas in the middle and eastern areas of the territory.
Palestinian health officials said an Israeli air strike killed nine people in Bani Suhaila near Khan Younis, while another air strike killed four at the Al-Maghazi camp in central Gaza.
In Deir Al-Balah, health officials and Hamas media said an Israeli air strike hit several tents inside Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital, killing four people and wounding several, including some journalists.
In Gaza City, Israeli forces continued to operate inside Al-Shifa Hospital, the territory’s Health Ministry said. Residents living nearby said residential districts had been destroyed by Israeli forces near Al-Shifa.
“I went out looking to buy some medicine from a pharmacy, and what I saw was heart-breaking. Complete streets with buildings that used to stand there had been destroyed,” said Mr Abu Mustafa.
“This is not war. This is genocide,” the 49-year-old told Reuters over the phone from Gaza City.
Like the rest of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, the father of six is struggling to provide his family with food in the north of the enclave, where the United Nations warned famine was imminent.
“We’ve had enough. We sleep and wake up dreaming of a ceasefire that will end the war and preserve the lives of whoever remains in Gaza,” he said.
In the peace talks, Hamas also wants hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced from Gaza City and surrounding areas southwards during the first stage of the war to be allowed back north.
The Israeli military said its forces operating in Al-Shifa killed gunmen barricading the area and had found weapons.
“Several compounds used to launch anti-tank missiles and where snipers operated were struck by IAF (Israeli Air Force) aircraft” in the Rimal neighbourhood near Al-Shifa, the military said.
It added that its forces killed 15 gunmen in central Gaza and several in Khan Younis, including near Al-Amal Hospital.
Israel said it killed and detained hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad gunmen at Al-Shifa during a raid. Hamas and medical staff deny any armed presence inside medical facilities, accusing Israel of killing and arresting civilians. The World Court on March 28 unanimously ordered Israel, accused by South Africa of genocide in Gaza, to take all necessary and effective action to ensure basic food supplies to the population. REUTERS
