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Israeli strikes kill at least 49 in Gaza as ceasefire prospects inch closer
At least 49 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, health staff say, as Palestinians face a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ceasefire prospects inch closer.. read more
Men cover their faces as smoke billows while first-responders attempt to extinguish a blaze following an Israeli strike at the UNRWA's Osama bin Zaid school in the Saftawi district in western Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on June 27, 2025. AFP photo
At least 49 people were killed in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes late Friday and into Saturday morning, as the humanitarian crisis deepens and efforts to secure a ceasefire show renewed momentum.
According to medical staff, 12 people sheltering near the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City were among the dead, along with eight others who died in residential apartments. Shifa hospital in Gaza City received numerous casualties, while more than 20 bodies were brought to Nasser hospital, health officials said.
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Meanwhile, ceasefire efforts are gaining traction, with Qatar, the United States and Egypt engaging both Israel and Hamas in fresh talks. The push follows this week's ceasefire between Iran and Israel, which mediators hope to leverage into progress on Gaza.
Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told AFP that Doha and its partners are 'trying to use the momentum that was created by the ceasefire between Iran and Israel to restart the talks over Gaza.'
'If we don't utilise this window of opportunity and this momentum, it's an opportunity lost amongst many in the near past,' said al-Ansari, who also serves as an adviser to Qatar's prime minister.
The strikes come as US President Donald Trump says there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office Friday, the president said, 'We're working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of.' An official with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Israel's Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, will arrive in Washington next week for talks on Gaza's ceasefire, Iran and other subjects.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Talks have been on again off again since Israel broke the latest ceasefire in March, continuing its military campaign in Gaza and furthering the Strip's dire humanitarian crisis. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, fewer than half of them believed to still be alive. They were part of some 250 hostages taken when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7, 2023, sparking the 21-month-long war.
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The war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and children.
There is hope among hostage families that Trump's involvement in securing the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, and he could feel he has more space to move toward ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose.
Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war in Gaza. Netanyahu says he will only end the war once Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected.
With inputs from agencies
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