Middle East latest: Children, parents among 8 killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza, officials say

Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip have killed eight people, including two children, ages 7 and 9, and their parents, Palestinian officials said Monday.

A third child, aged 10, was wounded in an overnight strike on a tent sheltering displaced people in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to Civil Defense, the Hamas-run first response agency. An Associated Press reporter saw the children’s bodies at the nearby Nasser Hospital.

According to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital, four people, including a woman and a child, were killed in a separate strike early Monday in the Nuseirat refugee camp that had been constructed.

The Israeli military has blamed the civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians and operating from residential areas. He rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children.

The war began when Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250. About 100 hostages are still in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

According to local health authorities, more than 43,800 Palestinians have died in Israel’s response. They do not distinguish between militants and civilians, but say that most of the dead are women and children. As a result of hostilities in Israel, about 76 people died, including 31 soldiers.

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Here are the latest:

The minister said that Lebanon will give a positive response to the US proposal for a ceasefire

BEIRUT — A government minister close to Hezbollah says Lebanon will express its “positive position” on the U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal this week

The Biden administration is trying to stop the war between Israel and the militants after several months of ceasefire.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally who acts as a mediator for the militants, is expected to meet with US Representative Amos Hochstein in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday.

Labor Minister Mostafa Bayram, who met with Berry on Monday, said Hezbollah’s function “is to make sure that (Israeli) aggression does not achieve its goals, while negotiations belong to the state and the government.”

A Western diplomat familiar with the talks told The Associated Press there was a sense of “cautiously optimistic.”

“Diplomatic efforts are aimed at a ceasefire, but it’s still in the hands and heads of the key players to decide whether or not it’s in their best interest to stop right now,” said the diplomat, who was not authorized to brief the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. anonymity

Efforts are aimed at restoration of the UN buffer zone in southern Lebanon, created after the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. Israel is said to be pushing for guarantees that it can continue military action against Hezbollah if necessary, a demand the Lebanese are unlikely to accept.

— Karim Chehayeb

Turkey refuses permission to fly a plane with the president of Israel

ANKARA, Turkey. Turkey denied Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s plane the right to use its airspace, preventing it from traveling to Azerbaijan, the Turkish state news agency reported.

Anadolu Agency reported late Sunday that Israeli authorities had requested permission for the plane to enter Turkish airspace en route to Baku, Azerbaijan, where Herzog was scheduled to attend the COP29 climate change conference.

The agency based its report on unnamed Turkish officials. When the permission was refused is not specified. Herzog’s office said in a statement that the decision to cancel the president’s trip to Baku was “based on an assessment of the situation and for security reasons.” He did not comment on Turkey’s report.

Turkey has become one of the strongest critics of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon. It has suspended trade relations with Israel, accused the country of genocide and expressed support for Hamas.

Children and their parents among 8 killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza, officials say

KHAN-YUNIS, Gaza Strip. Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed eight people, including two children, ages 7 and 9, and their parents, Palestinian officials said. A third child, 10 years old, was injured in the same blow.

Civil Defense, the Hamas-run first responder, said on Monday that two children were killed in an overnight strike on a tent sheltering displaced people in the southern city of Khan Younis.

An Associated Press reporter saw the bodies at Nasser’s nearby hospital. Two children were decapitated by the explosion, and their remains were placed in one bag.

According to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital, four people, including a woman and a child, were killed in a separate strike early Monday in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

The Israeli military has blamed the civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians and operating from residential areas. He rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children.

The war began when Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250. About 100 hostages are still in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

According to local health authorities, more than 43,800 Palestinians have died in Israel’s response. They do not distinguish between militants and civilians, but say that most of the dead are women and children.

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