Gaza rescuers say Israeli air strike kills 7 children from one family

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories — Gaza's civil defence rescue agency reported that an Israeli air strike killed 10 members of a family on Friday in the northern part of the territory, including seven children.

Violence in the Gaza Strip continues to rock the coastal territory more than 14 months into the Hamas-Israel war, even as international mediators work to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

"There are 10 martyrs ... all targeted by an air strike on their home in Jabalia al-Nazla, southwest of Jabalia. All of the martyrs are from the same family, including seven children, the oldest aged six," civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Bassal said the strike injured 15 other people.

The Israeli military when contacted by AFP did not offer an immediate response.

Israel in early October began a major military operation in Gaza's north, which it said aimed to prevent Hamas from regrouping there.

Amid the ongoing violence, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar are engaged in renewed negotiations to halt the war and secure the release of dozens of hostages still held by militants in Gaza.

On Tuesday, the United States expressed "cautious optimism" about the prospects of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.

The war was sparked by an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 45,206 people, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.