Israel announced on Saturday that talks to stop fighting in Gaza and release hostages have started again in Qatar. This comes as reports say more than 30 people lost their lives due to new airstrikes in the area. The civil defense group revealed that a morning airstrike destroyed a home belonging to the al-Ghoula family in Gaza City, killing 11 people, including seven children.
Images from Shujaiya neighborhood showed desperate residents searching through debris and finding bodies covered with white sheets. Amidst the chaos, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz reported that indirect talks with Hamas have restarted in Qatar to bring back those taken hostage during Hamas’s attacks on Israel in October 2023. Katz reassured families, including the relatives of soldier Liri Albag, that efforts are ongoing to rescue the hostages. Albag appeared in a video asking the Israeli government to act for her release. So far, 96 Israeli hostages are believed to be in Gaza, with 34 reported dead.
The group representing families of hostages stressed the importance of bringing them home quickly. Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed that the negotiations are focused on making sure fighting stops and that Israeli forces leave Gaza. Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have been trying for several months to end the ongoing conflict.
In December, there was hope that talks might progress following the recent U.S. elections, but both sides accused each other of putting in new demands. As these discussions unfold, the outgoing U.S. administration shared plans to sell $8 billion in military supplies to Israel, which is its biggest military supporter.
As for the events in Gaza, civil defense spokesperson Mahmud Bassal stated that the al-Ghoula home was completely destroyed. Neighbors described how the explosion shook their homes, saying it was a family house with no one dangerous inside. In a separate strike, five security officers guiding aid trucks were killed, but Israel claimed they were involved in terrorism.
Recent airstrikes in other parts of Gaza have resulted in even more casualties. The Gaza health ministry reported a total of 136 deaths over the last two days. Additionally, the Israeli military intercepted a missile from Yemen, as Huthi rebels there have been launching attacks in support of Palestinians. The Hamas attack that began this conflict killed 1,208 people, mostly civilians. In retaliation, Israeli actions in Gaza have resulted in at least 45,717 deaths, primarily innocent people, according to the Gaza health ministry.
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