Nearly 1,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel ended the ceasefire on 18 March [Getty]
At least 22 Palestinians were killed in Gaza in a new round of Israeli strikes overnight, according to local reports.
A drone strike in the Tel al-Zaatar neighbourhood in northern Gaza killed 11 civilians and injured several others, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Two children and a woman were among the dead.
Ten other people, all from the same family, were killed near Khan Younis in a separate raid, according to the agency.
1,691 have been killed in Gaza since 18 March, according to the Gaza health ministry, after Israel ended the fragile ceasefire with Hamas and escalated its attacks on the besieged territory.
Israel has imposed a blockade on all goods entering the strip for more than six weeks, causing food, fuel and medical supplies to rapidly deplete.
The UN said last week the strip is facing “likely the worst humanitarian crisis” since the war started in October 2023.
Around 70% of Gaza is now effectively off limits for Palestinians, with Israeli forces seizing more territory for its so-called ‘security zones’ and widening displacement orders, according to the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA).
More than 51,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since Israel began its brutal assault on Gaza more than 18 months ago, according to the local health ministry.
Majority of Israelis support ending war: poll
Almost two-thirds of Israelis support ending the war in return for the release of the remaining captives held by Hamas, a new poll has revealed.
The survey, conducted by Israeli newspaper Maariv, asked respondents whether they would agree to a deal to release the captives in exchange for withdrawing from Gaza and ending the war.
In response, 62% said they supported ending the war and only 21% were opposed.
The poll comes on the heels of Hamas announcing that it is willing to release all the remaining captives if Israel agrees to end the war.
In a televised speech on Thursday, the group’s chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya rejected Israel’s proposal for a temporary ceasefire and said it was only interested in an agreement to permanently end the war.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators have made little progress in their attempts to revive ceasefire negotiations since Israel collapsed the 42-day ceasefire in the middle of March.
Israel had proposed a new six-week truce in exchange for Hamas freeing a limited number of captives. It has said it will only stop the fighting if Hamas agrees to disarm, a demand that the Palestinian group has rejected.
Hamas released 38 captives during ceasefire that came into effect on 19 January. Fifty-nine remain in Gaza.
The truce collapsed on 18 March after Israel refused to enter negotiations to permanently end the war, reinvaded the territory, and reimposed the blockade.
