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DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 50 people, including several children, across the Gaza Strip, hitting Hamas security officers and an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone.
As the bombardment continued on Thursday and into Friday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had authorized a delegation from the Mossad intelligence agency, the Shin Bet internal security agency, and the military to continue negotiations in Qatar toward a ceasefire deal.
Israeli media reported that the delegation would depart on Friday. There was no immediate comment from Hamas. The U.S.-led talks have repeatedly stalled during the 15 months of war.
The Israeli strike in the seaside humanitarian zone known as Muwasi occurred while hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians were sheltering there in damp winter weather.
“Everyone was taking shelter in their tents from the cold, and suddenly we found the world turning upside down. Why, and for what?” said Ziyad Abu Jabal, displaced from Gaza City.
The early morning strike killed at least 10 people, including three children and two senior Hamas police officers.
Israel’s military claimed it targeted a senior police officer, alleging his involvement in gathering intelligence used by Hamas’ armed wing in attacks on Israeli forces.
Another Israeli strike killed at least eight people in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The men were members of local committees that help secure aid convoys, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies. An Associated Press journalist at the scene confirmed the toll.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
In southern Gaza, the military killed five policemen in eastern Khan Younis. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said the strike targeted the head of the Hamas internal security force in southern Gaza.
“Where did we find him? Where else, but of course hiding in the humanitarian zone in Khan Younis, where Gazans are sheltering from this war,” Mencer said.
Israel has repeatedly targeted Gaza’s police during the war, contributing to a breakdown of law and order that has hindered humanitarian aid delivery. Israel accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its own purposes.
The Hamas-run government previously maintained a police force numbering in the tens of thousands, ensuring a high degree of public security before the war, while also suppressing dissent. However, officers have largely disappeared from the streets in many areas.
Meanwhile, three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike that hit a group of people walking in the street in Maghazi in central Gaza. Their bodies were transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Late Thursday and early Friday, Israeli strikes in central Gaza, including Maghazi and the Nuseirat refugee camp, killed at least 24 people, including children, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
The war was ignited by a surprise attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants on October 7, 2023. The militants killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Approximately 100 hostages remain within Gaza, with at least a third believed to be deceased.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has resulted in the deaths of over 45,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. The ministry reports that women and children account for more than half of the fatalities. It’s important to note that this figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The Israeli military maintains that it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian casualties due to the militants’ operations within densely populated residential areas. The army claims to have killed 17,000 militants, though evidence for this claim has not been provided.
The war has caused widespread devastation and displaced approximately 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, with many experiencing multiple displacements.
Hunger is rampant. Children, some barefoot or wearing only sandals, waited in line with metal pails and other containers at a food distribution center in Deir al-Balah on Thursday.
Netanyahu Released from Hospital
Netanyahu was released from the hospital on Thursday following prostate surgery on Sunday.
Doctors at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital reported that Netanyahu was recovering well, although a period of recuperation lies ahead. Despite medical advice to remain hospitalized, the 75-year-old leader briefly left the facility on Tuesday to participate in a parliamentary vote.
Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive in Gaza until Hamas is completely destroyed. However, despite significant weakening, the militant group has repeatedly regrouped in parts of the territory, notably the largely isolated north, after Israeli forces withdraw.