Violence continued to rage in the Gaza Strip despite optimism for a cease-fire deal following talks between mediators from the US, Egypt, and Qatar. An Israeli airstrike killed 18 people from the same family, adding to the death toll in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war which has claimed over 40,000 lives. Mediation efforts aimed to secure the release of Israeli hostages and prevent a potential polio outbreak in Gaza. The airstrike targeted a house and warehouse where displaced people were sheltering, killing a family wholesaler and his relatives. The Israeli military continued attacks on militants in central Gaza, while civilians were ordered to evacuate areas. More than 84% of Gaza’s territory has been placed under evacuation orders by Israel. Mediators had been working on a three-phase plan for a lasting cease-fire, but the urgency increased in the face of regional tensions, including the killing of a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut and Hamas’ top political leader in Tehran. The latest cease-fire proposal was presented to the two sides, bridging all gaps and establishing an implementation cell to focus on logistics. However, Hamas cast doubt on whether an agreement was near, citing significant differences from a previous iteration. Efforts to secure the deal were intensified with increased diplomacy from France, the UK, and the US, hoping to prevent the collapse of the agreement and further violence in the region.
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