Israel kills nine in Gaza as Egypt hosts renewed ceasefire talks

The Israeli army has killed at least nine people and injured dozens of others across the Gaza Strip since dawn, according to information gathered by Al Jazeera, as Egypt began hosting a new round of talks with leaders from Hamas and other Palestinian factions to salvage a US-brokered “ceasefire”.

Five people were killed in a strike on a police post in the al-Mawasi area near the southern city of Khan Younis, three were killed in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, and one person was killed on a beach in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

Major fighting has been paused since last October under a “ceasefire” after two years of war. But no agreement has been reached to implement a further US-backed plan for Israeli troops to withdraw, Hamas to disarm and Gaza ‌to be rebuilt.

Hamas told envoys from the Board of Peace and mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye that ending Israeli attacks in Gaza was essential for any progress, according to sources from the group and officials close to the talks in Cairo who spoke to the Reuters news agency.

Since last October, about 947 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,900 injured in continued Israeli attacks. Hamas fighters have killed four Israeli soldiers during the same period.

Apartment buildings, markets , vehicles and cafes have continued to be struck. Families have received displacement orders only minutes before their homes were bombed.

The Israeli military controls about 64 percent of the Gaza Strip, up from the 53 percent envisaged under the ceasefire agreement. Under the areas it controls, the Israeli army has forced the displacement of Palestinians and levelled remaining buildings.

On May 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he instructed the military to expand its control of the Gaza Strip to 70 percent.