Air strike kills 8 in Gaza, Israel intercepts missile

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that an Israeli air strike on Sunday on a house and a tent sheltering displaced people killed at least eight, including five children, as Palestinians observed the first day of Eid al-Fitr.

The strike occurred as both Hamas and Israel acknowledged receiving a new truce proposal from mediators aimed at halting hostilities in Gaza during the holiday.

“There are eight martyrs, including five children, following a pre-dawn Israeli air strike on a house and a tent sheltering displaced people in Khan Yunis,” Mahmud Bassal, spokesperson for the civil defense agency, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

A fragile truce that had provided weeks of relative calm in the Gaza Strip collapsed on 18 March when Israel resumed its aerial bombardment and ground offensive in the Palestinian territory.

Sunday’s air strike came as mediators — Egypt, Qatar and the United States —continued efforts to broker a ceasefire and secure the release of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

A senior Hamas official stated on Saturday that the group had approved a new ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators and urged Israel to support it.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed receipt of the proposal and stated that Israel had submitted a counterproposal in response.

However, the details of the latest mediation efforts remain undisclosed.

The ongoing war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’ 7 October 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.