Gaza ceasefire Israeli strike kills family of three as truce talks stall

Gaza ceasefire talks remained deadlocked on Wednesday as an Israeli airstrike killed a man, his wife and their six-year-old daughter in central Gaza, Palestinian health officials said.

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Medics said the strike hit an apartment building in Deir al-Balah. The attack killed Omar Abu Qassem, his wife Asma and their daughter Habeeba. Their son survived but suffered injuries.

The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas militant during the strike.

Meanwhile, another Israeli airstrike killed one person in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, according to medics. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on that incident.

Palestinian health officials said more than 1,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have died in Israeli attacks since the October ceasefire took effect. Hamas does not usually disclose the number of its fighters killed. Four Israeli soldiers have also died in Gaza during the same period.

Ceasefire talks make little progress

The latest violence came as Hamas leaders concluded another round of ceasefire talks in Cairo on Tuesday. Egypt, Turkey and Qatar mediated the negotiations, which focused on advancing the second phase of the US-backed peace plan.

According to sources familiar with the talks, negotiators discussed Hamas’s disarmament and an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza. However, they made little progress because of deep mistrust between both sides.

The proposed second phase also includes transferring authority to a US-backed Palestinian technocratic committee, deploying an international security force and beginning Gaza’s reconstruction.

Five countries, including Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania, have pledged troops for the proposed international force. However, officials have not deployed any personnel because negotiations remain stalled.

Humanitarian crisis continues

Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, said the October ceasefire continues to hold but remains fragile. He added that repeated violations continue and Hamas has not accepted a proposed roadmap for future negotiations.

Hamas official Basem Naim accused Mladenov of backing Israel’s position and failing to hold Israel accountable for alleged ceasefire violations.

Hamas also said Israel has not fulfilled key commitments from the first phase of the agreement. The group argued that talks on the second phase cannot move forward until those obligations are met.

Nearly all of Gaza’s two million residents remain displaced, with many living in tents or damaged buildings. The humanitarian situation across the territory remains severe.