Israeli strikes kill 14 in Gaza

Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 14 Palestinians yesterday, at least 10 of them in one house in Gaza City, medics said as tanks pushed deeper towards the western area of Rafah in the south.

Medics said the Israeli airstrike on the house in the Daraj suburb of Gaza City destroyed the building and damaged nearby houses. Four other people were killed in two separate airstrikes in the city and the town of Beit Lahiya north of the enclave said medics, medics added.

In Rafah, near the border with Egypt, Israeli tanks pushed deeper towards the western area of Mawasi, known as a humanitarian-designated area, residents said.

Heavy fire from tanks rolling into the area forced dozens of families sheltering there to flee northwards towards Khan Younis.

Israel's offensive has killed at least 45,059 people, mostly civilians, according to authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip yesterday.  The campaign has displaced nearly the entire population and left much of the enclave in ruins.

Meanwhile, an Israeli technical team is in Doha for working-level talks with Qatari mediators on "remaining issues" in a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, an official with knowledge of the talks told Reuters on Monday.

The talks are currently focused on bridging gaps between Israel and Hamas on the deal US President Joe Biden outlined on May 31, the official said.

Efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to reach a truce in Gaza and a release of hostages have gained momentum in recent weeks, though there has been no breakthrough.

The three countries have, for more than a year, led rounds of so-far fruitless talks to broker an end to the 14-month-long offensive in Gaza.

In previous rounds, disagreements over new demands that Israel introduced about its future military presence in Gaza obstructed a deal, even after Hamas accepted a version of the proposal Biden introduced in May.