Gaza Strip: A Hamas-appointed deputy minister of labour was among several people, including children, killed as deadly Israeli strikes continued unabated in the Palestinian enclave.
Ehab al-Ghussein was killed along with three other people in the attack, according to the Civil Emergency Service.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, an ally of Hamas, fired rocket salvoes at northern Israel, in the latest cross-border clashes that have sparked fears of a full-scale war.
In Israel, anti-government protesters demanding a prisoner release deal blocked roads in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv as they marked a nationwide “disruption day” from 6:29am, the time Hamas launched their attack on Oct 7, 2023.
Efforts towards a truce continued with US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators hoping to halt the Gaza conflict, which has caused mass civilian casualties and devastated swathes of the coastal territory.
Egypt’s state-linked Al-Qahera News said Cairo was “hosting Israeli and American delegations to discuss the outstanding points”, citing an unnamed high-level official source.
Mediators were in contact with Hamas amid “intensive Egyptian meetings this week with all parties”, said the news report late on Saturday, without elaborating.
Israel has said it would send a delegation to continue talks with Qatari mediators, though a government spokesman said on Friday there were still “gaps” with Hamas.