More than two dozen killed in Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza; talks could hinder

Shafaq News/ An Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip killed about 30 people Palestinians on Tuesday, as Israel forced residents to flee under fire.

Hamas warned that the Israeli aggression could jeopardize ceasefire negotiations, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of creating obstacles to the talks.

The airstrike targeted the tents of displaced families outside a school in Abassan, east of Khan Younis, killing at least 29 people, most of them women and children, Palestinian medical officials reported.

This attack marks the fourth Israeli strike on a school building used as a shelter in Gaza within four days. It followed new mass evacuation orders from Israel for parts of Khan Younis and Gaza City, which have forced tens of thousands to flee and led to the closure of three key hospitals.

Gaza health officials updated the total Palestinian death toll in the nine-month-long Israeli military offensive to 38,243. Most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been displaced, with hundreds of thousands now living in sweltering tent camps.

Negotiations to reach a ceasefire in Gaza are set to continue on Wednesday in Qatar and on Thursday in Egypt. These talks follow a meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and CIA Director William Burns in Cairo.

Israel has stated that it will not end the war until all hostages are freed and Hamas is eliminated. Some experts suggest that Netanyahu's recent statements indicate the deal may face new hurdles.

US President Joe Biden, in May, outlined a three-phase proposal that he said Israel had submitted, declaring, "It’s time for this war to end.” The first phase of the potential agreement would last six weeks and include the “withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza” and the “release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly, and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.” Phase two would involve the “exchange for the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers.” In the third phase, a “major reconstruction plan for Gaza would commence, and any final remains of hostages who have been killed will be returned to their families.”