Tragic Toll: Israeli Strikes in Gaza

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Wednesday killed at least 17 people, including five children. The attacks came as talks led by the U.S, Qatar, and Egypt aim to reach a cease-fire in the 10-month-long conflict. The sides remain divided on key issues.

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Wednesday have resulted in the tragic death of at least 17 people, including five children and their parents, according to Palestinian health officials.

The strikes coincide with new talks intended to secure a cease-fire in the ongoing 10-month-long conflict. The United States, Qatar, and Egypt are endeavoring to broker an agreement, but considerable gaps persist between the opposing parties, despite months of indirect negotiations.

One particularly harrowing strike late Tuesday targeted a family home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, originating from the 1948 war. Five children, aged 2 to 11, and their parents were killed, stated Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. An Associated Press reporter noted that the bodies were dismembered, and the 2-year-old was decapitated.

Another strike in the nearby Maghazi refugee camp early Wednesday caused four fatalities and several injuries. In the southern city of Khan Younis, first responders recovered the bodies of four men following a strike on a residential tower. Additionally, two people were killed and five wounded in a strike on a house in Beit Lahiya.

Health authorities in Gaza refrain from specifying whether the deceased are militants or civilians. Israel claims it endeavors to avoid civilian casualties and attributes the deaths to Hamas operating within residential zones. The Israeli army rarely comments on specific strikes.

(With inputs from agencies.)