Sawt Falasteen - Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 14 as Trump teases ceasefire push

After nearly 21 months of war which has created dire humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million people, the Israeli military said this week it had expanded its operations.

In southern Gaza on Wednesday, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five members of the same family were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli air strike that hit a tent housing displaced people in the coastal Al-Mawasi area.

AFP images from the nearby Nasser Hospital, in Khan Yunis city, showed medics treating young children covered in blood.

Some appeared terrified while others lay still on hospital beds in bloodied bandages and clothes.

Despite being declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, Al-Mawasi has been hit by repeated Israeli strikes.

Further north, Bassal said that four people from the same family were killed in a pre-dawn Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza City, and another five in a drone strike on a house in the central Deir el-Balah area.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military requested precise coordinates for the targeted locations and said it "will try to look into" the reports.

- 'End the war' -

On Tuesday the military said that in recent days its forces had expanded operations across Gaza, "eliminating dozens of terrorists and dismantling hundreds of terror infrastructure sites".

After months of stalled mediation efforts to bring an end to the war, Trump on Tuesday said on social media that a new ceasefire proposal has Israel's support.

"Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War," Trump said.

He added that Qatari and Egyptian mediators, who have been in direct contact with Hamas throughout the war, would deliver "this final proposal".

"I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better -- IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE."

Trump is due to host Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week.

Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,647 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.

Z.Ramadan--SF-PST