CAIRO (Reuters) – An Israeli airstrike hit a tent inside a hospital compound in central Gaza, killing at least five people, bringing the total of Palestinians killed on Sunday to 19, Gaza health officials said, after another round of talks ended without result.
The airstrike hit a tent area inside the Al-Aqsa Hospital compound, starting a fire, wounding at least 18 people in addition to the five killed, medical authorities said.
The Israeli military said it struck a fighter who “conducted terror activities” and that secondary explosions were identified, indicating the presence of weaponry in the area.
Its statement added it struck 50 military targets across the enclave in the last 24 hours, including militants’ cells.
The hospital compound is in the Deir Al-Balah area, which is crowded with thousands of people displaced by fighting in other parts of the enclave have sought shelter.
Sirens went off in the area of Ashdod, further north than seen in recent weeks, and the Israeli military said five rockets were launched from southern Gaza. No injuries were reported.
Israeli forces have continued strikes and shelling in the Gaza Strip after diplomatic efforts in Cairo on Saturday ended without progress, and as Israel braces for a serious escalation in the north.
Chances of a breakthrough appear low as regional tension has soared following the assassination of Hamas’ leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a top military commander from Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Haniyeh’s death was one in a series of killings of senior Hamas figures as the Gaza war nears its 11th month.
Hamas and Iran have both accused Israel of carrying out the assassination of Haniyeh and have pledged to retaliate. Israel has neither claimed nor denied responsibility for the death.
