Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 28

Israeli strikes overnight and early Sunday in Gaza killed at least 28 people, including 13 at a family home and eight at a former school, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The latest attacks come as international mediators attempt to secure a long-awaited ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, which the militant group says is "closer than ever."

What happened during Israel's latest strikes?

At least eight people, including three children, died when Israeli fighter planes attacked a school building in the al-Daraj quarter in Gaza City where displaced people were sheltering, WAFA reported.

The Israeli military said the building was being used by the Iran-backed Hamas as a command and control center to plan and execute attacks against Israeli forces. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, Germany, the United States and several other countries.

WAFA also reported an air attack on a vehicle in Gaza City that killed four Palestinians.

A strike on a home in the central city of Deir al-Balah late Saturday killed at least 13 people, including three women and two children, according to Gaza's civil defense agency.

A photographer from the AFP news agency saw residents searching through the debris for survivors while bodies covered in blankets were laid on the floor in a nearby compound.

In the southern city of Khan Younis, a man and woman were killed in a strike just after midnight Sunday, according to the nearby Nasser Hospital.

A further six people were killed in attacks in the center and the south of Gaza, according to the reports.

Israel keeps up pressure on Hamas

Israel continues to carry out daily strikes in Gaza more than 14 months into the war with Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces insist that the military only targets militants, who it says hide among civilians, but the bombings frequently kill women and children.

Israel has faced accusations by rights groups of "acts of genocide" in Gaza, which the government strongly denies.

According to Palestinian sources, more than 45,200 people have been killed in Gaza since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks within Israel, which claimed nearly 1,200 lives and saw about 250 people abducted.

Israel's offensive in Gaza has caused widespread destruction and displaced about 90% of the territory's 2.3 million people.

Ceasefire deal 'closer than ever'

Israel and Hamas have recently come closer to a ceasefire agreement to end the bloodshed.

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, were held last week in Doha.

Hamas and two other Palestinian armed groups said in a rare joint statement Saturday that an agreement was "closer than ever."

The deal would likely include the release of Israeli hostages captured by Hamas and Palestinians held by Israel.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was "hopeful" for a deal, but wouldn't be drawn on when it would materialize.

mm/sms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)