Gaza civil defence says 23 killed in Israeli strikes

The series of strikes came just hours after Hamas, which runs Gaza, announced it was willing to release 10 Israeli hostages as part of ceasefire talks in Qatar.

The high death toll comes after the agency said 26 people were killed across Gaza on Wednesday, 29 on Tuesday and 12 on Monday.

Agency official Mohammed al-Mughair said the latest wave of bombings hit central and southern Gaza, with the deadliest killing 12 in Deir el-Balah.

Eight children and two women were among the dead, he said, adding Israeli aircraft targeted "a gathering of citizens in front of a medical point".

Two people were killed in separate strikes on the Nuseirat camp while four lost their lives at the Bureij camp, both in central Gaza, Mughair said.

Five people living in tents in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis in the south, he added.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

AFP was not able to independently verify the tolls and details due to restrictions imposed on media in Gaza.

The war began after Hamas militants attacked Israeli border communities on October 7, 2023, leading to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, reports BSS. 

Israel's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 57,680 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

The United Nations deems those figures to be reliable.