Live Updates: Israel kills 18 members of same family in Gaza

Sunday, August 18, 2024

06:21 GMT — Israel kills 18 members of same family in Gaza

An Israel air strike in besieged Gaza killed at least 18 people, all from the same family, hours after mediators expressed optimism for an imminent ceasefire.

The air strike hit a house and adjacent warehouse sheltering displaced people at the entrance to the town of Zawaida, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where casualties were taken.

05:14 GMT — Blinken heads back to Middle East as hopes for Gaza truce rise

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has left on a mission to the Middle East to push ahead a Gaza ceasefire deal as cautious optimism rises.

The top US diplomat will fly to Tel Aviv ahead of expected meetings with the Israeli leadership.

04:35 GMT — Thousands of Israelis protest to demand deal with Hamas

Thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets, demanding a prisoner swap deal with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in besieged Gaza.

Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Kaplan Square, central Tel Aviv, to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to finalise a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal, according to state-run public broadcaster KAN.

The protesters threatened to intensify demonstrations if a deal is not reached within the next week, it reported, adding that protesters chanted against Netanyahu and accused him of disregarding the lives of the hostages in Gaza.

04:00 GMT — Israel claims two officers killed in Gaza

Two senior Israeli officers have been killed by roadside explosives planted by Palestinian resistance groups in central Gaza, the army announced.

One of them, logistics officer Major Yotam Itzhak Peled, 34, of "the Jerusalem Brigade's 8119th Battalion ... was killed by roadside bombs planted by Hamas in the Netzarim Corridor area," the army said in a statement.

Releasing a separate statement, it said the second officer was Sergeant Major Mordechai Yosef Ben Shoam.

03:00 GMT — Egypt, Iran explore efforts to reach ceasefire in Gaza

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty emphasised to his Iranian acting counterpart Ali Bagheri Kani the need to contain escalation in the region.

According to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the call between Abdelatty and Kani was "within the framework of Egypt's intensive efforts aimed at containing the escalation in the region, and the ongoing communication with all relevant regional and international parties to ease the tension in the region."

"Egyptian efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza were discussed," with the Egyptian minister affirming that "the international community is more aware than ever of the need to end the war and achieve a deal for the exchange of hostages and prisoners."

For our live updates from Saturday, August 17, 2024, click here.