The Israeli military reported an attack on Tuesday in the Khan Younis district of southern Gaza, while Palestinian officials said an Israeli airstrike on the same site killed at least 17 people.
Palestinian officials said the attack occurred near the European Hospital near Hamad.
The Israeli military said it targeted terrorist infrastructure in Hamad and arrested dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters hiding among civilians.
Fighting in Gaza continues, and all parties continue to push for a ceasefire in the conflict, including holding talks in Egypt.
Israel is not involved in the Cairo talks and has accused Hamas of failing to provide a list of hostages still held by militants in Gaza.
A senior Hamas official told reporters on Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was responsible for the failure to reach an agreement and that the onus to push for action rested with Israel’s ally, the United States.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday urged Hamas to accept the terms of a proposed deal in which the release of hostages would lead to an immediate six-week ceasefire and allow for increased humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip.
Harris held talks at the White House with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz, in which she also condemned the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack and the taking of hostages, including U.S. citizens.
“Israel has the right to defend itself. Too many Palestinian civilians – innocent civilians – have been killed. We need to get more aid. We need to rescue the hostages,” Harris said, summarizing the Biden administration’s stance on the conflict ahead of the talks.
Harris and Gantz also discussed Israel’s impending military action in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than one million people are seeking refuge. She said a viable humanitarian plan must be implemented there before Israel decides to launch any major offensive against Hamas, expressing concern about the impact such operations would have on civilians.
The United States says Israel has signed a ceasefire, but details have yet to be finalized in Cairo’s talks with Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist group.
Israel has vowed to end the threat of another Hamas attack like the one in October that killed 1,200 people, according to Israel’s count. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israel’s counteroffensive since then has killed more than 30,600 people in Gaza, about 70% of whom were women and children. Another 72,000 Palestinians were injured.
VOA’s Jeff Seldin and Margaret Beshear contributed to this report. Some information provided by The Associated Press, AFP and Reuters.
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