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Live blog: Israel kills 18 members of same family in Gaza
Israel’s genocidal war on besieged Gaza, now in its 317th day, has killed 40,074 — mostly women and children — and wounded over 92,537, a conservative estimate, with 10,000+ estimated to be buried under debris of bombed homes.
Relatives of Palestinians, who lost their lives in Israeli attacks over Az-Zawayda district, perform funeral prayer after dead bodies brought to the morgue of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah / Photo: AA
AA
Relatives of Palestinians, who lost their lives in Israeli attacks over Az-Zawayda district, perform funeral prayer after dead bodies brought to the morgue of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah / Photo: AA
Sunday, August 18, 2024
2100 GMT — 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.
More updates 
2255 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.
Also 34, he was a “truck driver with the Jerusalem Brigade’s 8119th Battalion … was part of a convoy to supply troops in Gaza City’s southern Zeitoun neighbourhood with equipment,” it added.
2045 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 his part, Kani expressed his “appreciation for Egypt’s current efforts and the responsibility Cairo bears to stop the war in Gaza and achieve calm.”
For our live updates from Saturday, August 17, 2024, click here.
SOURCE: TRTWORLD AND AGENCIES
