Gaza, Jan 15 (EFE) – At least 33 Palestinians, including seven of a family seeking refuge in a Gaza school, have been killed in overnight Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, local sources and hospital officials said on Wednesday.
Eleven people from the Shuqura and Saleh families died in an Israeli airstrike targeting a house in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, while seven more Palestinians were killed in the bombing of a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
These latest casualties come on the eve of a potential ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, following a devastating conflict that erupted after a series of deadly Hamas-led attacks in October 2023.
The ongoing war has resulted in over 46,000 deaths in Gaza.
Hamas confirmed on Wednesday that key issues for a ceasefire and the release of hostages have been agreed upon.
However, the group said it was awaiting Israel to provide detailed maps and timelines for a full military withdrawal from Gaza.
“The Israelis and the Americans want us to accept the general idea of ‘withdrawal from populated areas,’ but we are asking for specific maps and timelines,” a Hamas source told EFE, requesting anonymity.
According to the source, discussions are centered on limiting Israeli troop presence to 500 meters from the border at specific points during the three-phase withdrawal.
However, Israel is pushing to maintain a presence in the so-called “buffer zone,” a strip of land expanded during the conflict, where all buildings were demolished.
This zone now extends more than 1.2 kilometers into Gaza.
The return of displaced Palestinians and the future governance of Gaza remain unresolved points in the negotiations, according to Hamas.
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