At Least 22 Palestinians Killed in Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza
At least 22 Palestinians were killed on Saturday in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, medics said. According to reports, the airstrikes targeted areas where people had gathered to receive aid, including near the municipality building in Deir Al-Balah, where the head of the Hamas-run administrative committee in central Gaza, Diab Ali al-Jaru, was killed. Israel’s military claimed that al-Jaru, who was also the mayor of Deir Al-Balah, had assisted Hamas militants.
The strikes also targeted militants and weapon caches near an aid warehouse, as well as a former shelter housing displaced people, killing at least seven, including a woman and her baby. The Israeli military said it had taken precautions to reduce the risk of harm to civilians.
The violence in Gaza has resulted in the death of at least 137 journalists and media workers in over a year of war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The war began when Hamas stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking over 250 hostages. In response, Israel launched an air, sea, and land offensive, which has resulted in the deaths of nearly 45,000 people, mostly civilians, and the displacement of nearly the entire population.
Egypt, Qatar, and the United States are currently trying to broker a truce and a deal to release prisoners in exchange for the release of hostages. On Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi discussed these efforts with visiting U.S. officials.
