An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed at least 18 people, all from the same family, on Saturday, hours after mediators expressed optimism that a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was imminent after 10 months of war. A joint statement by US, Egypt, and Qatar mediators said that a proposal to bridge gaps was presented and that they expect to work out implementation details next week in Cairo, the AP reports. The mediators seek to secure the release of scores of Israeli hostages and stop the fighting that has devastated Gaza. Talks also are meant to calm regional tensions that have threatened to explode into a wider war if Iran and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon attack Israel in retaliation for recent killings of militant leaders.
Saturday's airstrike hit a house and adjacent warehouse sheltering displaced people at the entrance to the town of Zawaida, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. An AP reporter there counted the dead. Among those killed was Sami Jawad al-Ejlah, a wholesaler who coordinated with the Israeli military to bring meat and fish to Gaza. The dead included his two wives, 11 of their children ages 2 to 22, the children's grandmother, and three other relatives, according to a list provided by the hospital. "He was a peaceful man," said a neighbor. More than 40 civilians were sheltering in the structures at the time, he said. The Israeli military, which rarely comments on individual strikes, said it hit "terrorist infrastructure" in central Gaza where rockets had been fired toward Israel in recent weeks.
Another Israeli strike killed at least 10 Syrians, including a woman and her two children, in southern Lebanon, the nation's Health Ministry said. Israel said it struck a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the city of Nabatieh, per the Washington Post. Another mass evacuation was ordered for parts of central Gaza. An Israeli military post on X cited Palestinian rocket fire and said Palestinians in and around the Maghazi refugee camp should leave. "The suffering began from the day we left our homes," said Ahmad Omrani, one of those affected by the order, as heavily laden vehicles, bikes, and donkey carts weaved through the rubble. "We suffer from fear and anxiety, and fear for the children playing in the street. You cannot sleep, sit or eat well."
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