Israeli Airstrikes Kill Four in Gaza, Including Two Children, Amid Ceasefire Talks
Israeli airstrikes killed at least four people, including two children, in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, health officials said, as mediators held new talks with Hamas leaders to push forward implementation of a U.S.-brokered peace plan.
A Hamas official and a diplomat close to the Cairo talks with mediators said discussions were “positive” and “making progress”. The diplomat said negotiations were ongoing toward a roadmap that would see all heavy and light weapons in Gaza decommissioned.
Medics reported an Israeli airstrike on a tent encampment in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, killed a man and an eight-year-old girl. In the Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza, an airstrike hit a house killing an 18-month-old child and wounding at least eight people. Later, a strike targeted a Palestinian man on a bicycle near a tent encampment in Gaza City, killing one and wounding ten others.
The Israeli military said the strikes targeted Hamas militants, without providing further details. The latest deaths bring the toll to more than 1,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, killed by Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect, according to Gaza health officials. Hamas does not usually disclose its losses. The truce halted full-scale fighting but not near-daily Israeli strikes. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza since the ceasefire.
In Cairo, Hamas leaders held talks with mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey over implementing the second phase of the Gaza plan proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace. The plan calls for increased humanitarian aid, governance by a civilian Palestinian administration, disarmament of Hamas, withdrawal of Israeli forces, and deployment of an international force. Progress had stalled in previous months.
A Hamas official said the group was bringing a “positive and good” response but did not confirm agreement to fully disarm—a key sticking point. Hamas wants Israel to commit to ending attacks and withdrawing forces. Sources close to Hamas said the group was willing to “confine and store” heavy weapons under a Palestinian body, not hand them over to Israel. It remains unclear whether this stance will be accepted by Israel and the Board of Peace.
The diplomat involved said the roadmap under discussion includes decommissioning all heavy and light weapons, and transferring authority in phases to the U.S.-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), under the principle of “one authority, one law, one weapon”. The plan also includes eliminating tunnels, weapons stockpiles, and production facilities, leaving no militant infrastructure. The diplomat described the roadmap as based on reciprocal steps rather than trust.
However, the reality on the ground remains far from this roadmap. The Israeli military has continued expanding its occupation of Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Israel intends to control 70% of the enclave. The NCAG has been based in Cairo without announcing a timeline for entry into Gaza. It is unclear how many forces would be available for the international force or whether Israeli troops would withdraw.
