CAIRO: The Israeli military said it killed a Palestinian it accused of involvement in the October 7 attack on Israel in a vehicle strike in Gaza, while medics said at least 32 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across the enclave overnight and into Saturday.

The escalation comes as leaders of Hamas were expected to arrive in Cairo on Saturday for ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials, days after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to ceasefire in Lebanon, two officials of the group told Reuters.

Later on Saturday, medics said nine people were killed when an Israeli air strike targeted a vehicle near a gathering of Palestinians receiving aid in the southern area of Khan Younis south of the enclave.

Residents and a Hamas source said the vehicle targeted near a crowd receiving flour was used by security personnel tasked with overseeing aid deliveries into Gaza.

Among the 32 killed, at least seven died in an Israeli strike on a house in central Gaza City, according to a statement from the Gaza Civil Defense and the official Palestinian news agency WAFA early on Saturday.

Seven-year-old child among four injured in Lebanon attacks

The Gaza Civil Defence also reported that one of its officers was killed in attacks in northern Gaza’s Jabalia, bringing the total number of civil defence workers killed since Oct 7, 2023, to 88.

The Israeli military said it killed a Palestinian it accused of involvement in the October 7 attack on Israel in a vehicle strike, and was investigating claims the individual was an employee of aid group World Central Kitchen.

Earlier on Saturday, WAFA reported that three employees of World Central Kitchen, a US-based, non-governmental hum­anitarian agency, were killed when a civilian vehicle was targeted in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

The charity said on Saturday it was “pausing operations in Gaza” after the Israeli air strike killed three of its contractors.

Strike in Lebanon

An Israeli strike on a car wounded three people, including a seven-year-old child, on Saturday in the south Lebanon village of Majdal Zoun, the Lebanese Health Ministry said in a statement.

Later on Saturday, another person was injured in a separate Israeli strike on Al Bisariya, which lies near the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, the ministry said.

The Israeli military said it had attacked a Hezbollah facility in Sidon that allegedly housed rocket launchers for the group.

It added that it had also hit a vehicle in southern Lebanon allegedly loaded with rocket-propelled grenades, ammunition and military equipment.

A truce came into effect on Wednesday, but both sides have accused each other of breaching a ceasefire that aims to halt over a year of fighting.

New efforts for Gaza ceasefire

Egypt is hosting a Hamas delegation in Cairo on Saturday to discuss a ceasefire, two Hamas officials told Reuters late on Friday.

The visit is the first since the United States announced earlier this week it would revive efforts in collaboration with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkiye to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza, similar to the recent agreement reached between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Hamas delegation is expected to meet Egyptian security officials to explore ways to reach a ceasefire deal with Israel. However, progress remains limited due to disagreements between the two parties.

Hamas is seeking an agreement that would end the war and secure the release of Israeli and foreign prisoners held in Gaza. In contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the war will only end when Hamas is eradicated.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2024